Laws will change only if people at the grassroots level, demand changes. Every state is different, so each of us needs to be aware of the laws of our states regarding Animal Cruelty, Abandonment, Euthanasia and other Animal Rights Issues.

Some in the works now are:

Federal and State Alerts

Federal Alert
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA)
Help give our nation’s children the protection they deserve by fully funding CAPTA.

Federal Alert
Early Education Bills
Help provide children with a strong start in education at a young age.

Federal Alert
Education Begins at Home Act
Help keep children and families safe.

Federal Alert
White House Conference on Children and Youth in 2010 Act
Help make children in America a priority today.

Alaska Alert
Bestiality
Help make bestiality a form of animal cruelty in Alaska.

California Alert
Dogfighting forfeitures
Allow property acquired through dogfighting ventures to be forfeited by convicted offenders, and use the proceeds from the property sales to investigate and prosecute dogfighting, as well as care for its animal victims.

Delaware Alert
Pets in Protective Orders
Help protect Delaware’s pets from domestic violence.

Delaware Alert
Penalizing Animal Fighting and Baiting
Help punish animal cruelty in Delaware by imposing a mandatory six-month jail sentence for individuals convicted of animal fighting and baiting.

Florida Alert
Enabling Breed-Specific Legislation
Help keep breed-specific legislation out of Florida’s local governments

Massachusetts Alert
Pets in Protective Orders
Help protect Massachusetts’ pets from domestic abuse

Michigan Alert
Humane Euthanasia / Anti-Pound Seizure
Help ban all inhumane methods of euthanasia for shelter animals and keep shelter cats and dogs from being used in research.
Download the endorsement form.

Minnesota Alert
Pets in Protective Orders
Help protect Minnesota’s pets from domestic abuse

New Jersey Alert
Including Pets in Restraining Orders
Help protect New Jersey's pets from domestic violence.

New Jersey Alert
Ban Unfair Targeting of Certain Dog Breeds
Help stop insurers from discriminating based on dog breed.

New Jersey Alert
Animal Cruelty in the Presence of a Child
Help protect New Jersey's children from exposure to animal cruelty.

New Jersey Alert
Establish Animal Hoarding as an Animal Cruelty Offense
Help establish animal hoarding as an animal cruelty offense.

New Jersey Alert
Cross-Reporting of Child and Animal Abuse
Help support the cross-reporting of child and animal abuse in New Jersey.

New Jersey Alert
Protect Dogs from Excessive Tethering
Help restrict the inhumane practice of tethering dogs outdoors for long periods at a time.

New York Alert
Animal Hoarding
Address and prevent animal hoarding by making it a serious animal neglect offense.

New York Alert
Increasing penalties for animal fighting and aggravated cruelty to animals
Increase jail time and fines for animal fighting and acts of aggravated cruelty to animals, and provide psychiatric evaluations and treatment to those convicted to prevent future abuse.

New York Alert
Breed-Specific Legislation
Stop insurance companies from discriminating against certain dog breeds.

North Carolina Alert
Including pets in Domestic-Violence Protective Orders
Allow courts to include pets in domestic-violence protective orders.

Ohio Alert
Pets in Protective Orders; Counseling; Abuse Penalty
Protect animals from abuse and ensure that convicted abusers receive treatment.

Ohio Alert
Repeal Breed-Specific Legislation
Stop unfair targeting of certain dog breeds

Oregon Alert
Mandatory Liability Insurance for Pit Bull Owners
Help keep ineffective breed-specific legislation out of Oregon.

Pennsylvania Alert
Mandatory Spay/Neuter in Releasing Agencies
Require state-licensed animal shelters to sterilize all animals before they are released for adoption.

Pennsylvania Alert
Eliminate Gas Chambers for Shelter Animals
Help ban the use of the gas chamber for euthanizing animals in shelters.

South Carolina Alert
Pets in Protective Orders
Help protect South Carolina’s pets from domestic abuse.
Pets in Protective Orders

Each year, defenseless pets face the grim reality that they will be victims of domestic abuse. American Humane knows that individuals who abuse animals rarely stop there. Human victims -- adults and children alike -- often feel they have no choice but to remain in violent households in order to avoid harm to their pets.

For more information about protective orders, including the steps for obtaining one, click here. (PDF)

By allowing judges to include pets in protective orders, the following bills address this issue head-on.

Delaware (DE residents only)
Massachusetts (MA residents only)
Minnesota (MN residents only)
New Jersey (NJ residents only)
North Carolina (NC residents only)
Ohio (OH residents only)
South Carolina (SC residents only)

Pets in Protective Orders bills enacted into law: Maine, New York and Vermont (2006); California, Connecticut, Colorado, Illinois, Nevada and Tennessee (2007); District of Columbia, Louisiana and Puerto Rico (2008); Washington (2009)


http://www.americanhumane.org/advocacy/

Federal Animals

Passed

* Critical Dogfighting Language Included in Federal Farm Bill

No vote

* Congressional Resolution on The Link®
* Tracking Animal Cruelty Crimes Act of 2007 (S 2439)
* Human and Pet Food Safety Act of 2007 (HR 2108)
This bill has been on hold for 2 years! What is the problem with these people?)
Human and Pet Food Safety Act of 2007 (HR 2108)

No vote

Sponsored by U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), this bill would have directly responded to growing concerns about the safety of the nation’s food supply by establishing mandatory federal standards. The bill also would have allowed the Food and Drug Administration to fine companies that neglect to report possible contamination. Although the bill had 45 co-sponsors, it remained in the House Subcommittee on Health without a vote. We are hopeful Rep. DeLauro will reintroduce the bill in 2009. American Humane remains committed to working with Congress and with other organizations to continually urge the federal government to institute policies that protect animals from abuse and neglect.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What can you do? Write your legislators and tell them you want these laws passed or changed. We are all animal lovers and we have the power to demand changes.