Comm. Outreach Archives: Report on Friday Morning Hearing(s): 2007-03-23

Please Note: Information in this archived article may no longer be accurate.

SB777 - Thanks to those who came to the Capitol this morning (Friday) in support of SB777. The turnout was good, many of whom wore big 'vote for 777' buttons. For tactical reasons, Senator Madison elected to not introduce 777 to the House Agriculture Committee this morning. This may occur Monday, so please check warmhearts.org often for the latest.

HB2788 - Supporters learned early that 777 would not be heard, so could attend the Senate Judicial Committee meeting instead; it's agenda included House Bill 2788, the much weaker (and seriously flawed) bill sponsored by the Farm Bureau. The House sponsor of that bill, Rep. Saunders, did not show up to introduce it. The strong showing of 777 supporters may well have played a role in this. Again, please stay tuned for further developments.

In the words of one supporter, a lawyer: The two requisites of a good lobbiest are patience and deviousness. Please stay in touch, and please keep showing up!

Background information:
Please see "SB777 - What you can do" in the Community Outreach menu. Earlier warmhearts postings on SB777, HB2788 and Felony Cruelty in general, though some are archived, are all still accessible through via the Google search field on all Warmhearts pages. Pages marked "ARCHIVED" may include outdated information.

(Some material below is excerpted by permission from letters of Eva Madison, Humane Society of the Ozarks, Fayetteville)

The work is even harder in the House, so start telling your friends, family members, and co-workers – heck, tell the person in line behind you at Wal-Mart – to email their House member.

Go HERE to find your Rep. Find email addresses HERE or call the House switchboard at 501-682-6211. Contact members of the House Agriculture Committee and urge them to vote SB 777 out of their committee to be heard by the full House. Remember that emails from constituents are the best, so think hard about who you know in these districts. Also, remember your audience is mostly farmers and cattleman, so be brief and focus on just getting the bill out of committee. Avoid the temptation to debate the merits – if someone says they won’t support the bill, move on. Here are committee members: