Animal Folks Minnesota

legislation

Dog/Cat Breeder Bill

follow the vote

talking points

legislation > federal laws

From puppy mills to puppy imports to dog-fighting to use of stolen animals for research, there are many animal issues being debated by Congress and the courts.

Two specific issues of interest:

Federal Puppy Mill Bill

Legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 6949) and U.S. Senate (S. 3519) called the Puppy Uniform Protection Statute (PUPS) or "Baby's Bill", honoring a rescued puppy mill survivor.

This bill never became law.

This legislation attempted to amend the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) to provide further protection for puppies. Specifically, it would have required "commercial breeders producing 50 or more dogs per year who sell directly to the public, including over the Internet, to be licensed and inspected by the USDA, and require that all commercial dealers provide dogs at their facilities opportunitites for 60 minutes of exercise daily." per link below. Currently, the AWA does not license or inspect breeders who sell directly (solely) to the public.

The Farm Bill
The Farm Bill, passed in 2008, is an omnibus, multi-year authorization law that incorporates farm and food legislation and impacts animal health and welfare, research programs and the veterinary profession.

Animal protection amendments were added to the Farm Bill. These protection measures were possible due to citizens contacting their legislators and asking that they be included.
Specifically, the 2008 Farm Bill now includes measures to "stop the import of puppies for commercial sale from foreign puppy mills, strengthen the federal law against animal fighting, and increase penalties for those who violate the Animal Welfare Act (AWA)."

See links below:

"));