Comm. Outreach Archives: SB777-What you can do: 2007-03-15
Please Note: Information in this archived article may no longer be accurate.
(Some material xcerpted with permission from a letter by Eva Madison, Humane Society of the Ozarks, Fayetteville)
SB 777 will make aggravated cruelty to dogs, cats, and horses a felony. Click HERE to view the full bill.
The bill takes the most serious animal abuse against dogs, cats, and horses – torture, depraved killings, neglect that results in prolonged suffering or death, and abuse in front of a child – and calls it what it is: A FELONY.
The bill exempts activities that are obviously lawful: self-defense or defense of others, protecting livestock and poultry, lawful veterinary purposes, Good Samaritan acts for animals in distress, bona fide animal research activities, euthanizing animals, and humanely killing sick animals.
There is an opposing bill, HB2788, that purports to be a felony cruelty bill but actually would weaken the current investigative powers of trained, certified abuse investigators; and would apply only to second offenders (while making prosecution of a first offense considerably more difficult). The progress of 2788 is being managed by lobbyists of the Farm Bureau.
To make the important SB777 legislation a reality during the 2007 legislative session, WE NEED YOUR HELP!
What You Can Do
(1) Check the top of the Warmhearts.org home page for the latest news, as the article you are reading is not being updated.
(2) Contact your State Representative and your State Senator (see tips below).
(3) Write a letter to the editor of your local paper (see tips below).
(4) Forward this webpage link to friends, family members, and co-workers in Arkansas who you believe are interested in having a felony animal cruelty law.
(5) Attend Congressional hearings. Watch the warmhearts website for notice of the next hearing in Little Rock and then show up. Bring a sign.
How to Find Your Legislators
· Your legislators want to hear from their own constituents, so be sure to contact your State Representative and your State Senator. Emails that go to ALL senators/representatives are not as effective as an email from a constituent.
· If your Representative or Senator is already a co-sponsor of the bill, there is no need to overwhelm them with unnecessary emails and phone calls. Please focus on the undecided votes!
· If you don’t know who your legislators are, click HERE to find out. Enter your ZIP+4. Then, click the “State” tab. You should see the names of your State Representative and your State Senator.
How to Contact Your Legislators
· Emails and phone calls are the best way to communicate. Letters are not effective forms of communication during the legislative session.
· Find House email addresses HERE. Find Senate email addresses HERE.
Emails:
· Include in the subject line something like “Vote for SB 777.”
· Provide your name and address (so they know you live in their district). You can even state that you live in their district (if you know that to be true).
· Ask them to vote for the bill. Keep your email very brief – they do not have time to read lengthy emails and may ignore your email if the message is too long.
· Say thank you, be polite, and stay positive!
Phone calls:
· Senate switchboard: 501-682-2902
· House switchboard: 501-682-6211
· Leave a message for your Senator/Representative, saying “Please vote for SB 777.”
· Provide your name and address (so they know you live in their district).
Tips for Letters to the Editor:
· Be brief, focusing on one, or at most two, major points to support the bill. Aim for no more than 250 words, and be sure to stay under the paper’s word limit.
· Be accurate, be polite, and stay positive!
· Include your name, address and phone number. Anonymous letters will not be published.
· Have someone review your letter to ensure it is clear and that you get your point across.
· You may submit a letter to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette online HERE.
Reasons to Support SB 777 - Talking Points
· 42 states have felony animal cruelty laws. Only Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah lack felony cruelty provisions. Notably, every Southern agricultural state has a felony cruelty law, except for Arkansas and Mississippi.
· There is a strong connection between domestic abuse and animal abuse. Nearly three-quarters of families with school-age children have at least one companion animal. Unfortunately, abusive family members may threaten, injure, or kill pets, often as a way of threatening or controlling others in the family. In fact, a 1997 study revealed that animals are abused in 88% of families where children are abused.
· Cruelty toward animals can be the first sign of a violent pathology that includes human victims. Notorious serial killers Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Albert DeSalvo (the “Boston Strangler”), David Berkowitz (“Son of Sam”), and Dennis Rader (the “BTK” killer) all tortured animals before they started hurting people. Columbine students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold and D.C.-area sniper Lee Boyd Malvo also tortured animals before becoming teenaged killers. Studies of prison inmates reveal that as many as 75% of violent offenders had early records of animal cruelty.
· According to the American Animal Hospital Association's National Pet Owner Survey, 74 percent of pet owners say that they would be willing to go into debt in order to provide for their animal’s well-being. It’s time the law valued our pets as much as we do. It’s not “just a dog,” “just a cat,” or “just a horse,” it’s our Max, our Maggie, or our Buddy.
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." –Gandhi