HB1853 Mandatory Pet Sterilization
Rob Wittman
Summary: Requires dog and cat dealers to adhere to the same mandatory sterilization requirements as releasing agencies. New dog and cat owners who purchase from dealers shall follow the same requirements as those who adopt at releasing agencies. Exemptions are made for selected animals; other dogs and cats must be surgically sterilized.
Virginia Voters for Animal Welfare (VVAW) - HSUS Bill
Fourth VVAW measure in four years attempting to sterilize some or all of Virginia's pet dogs and cats. Not only is this bill's justification erroneous, it contains flawed language and numerous intended and unintended harmful public policy and animal welfare consequences.
OPPOSE
Referred to House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
Set for full committee hearing on 1/17/2007 - Tabled (defeated)

HB1900 Cruelty to animals; penalty.
David B. Albo
Summary: Makes it a Class 6 felony if any person who has been convicted of violating the animal cruelty statute is convicted within five years of the prior offense of *intentionally* depriving an animal of necessary food, drink, shelter, or emergency veterinary treatment, and either the previous or current violation has resulted in the death of an animal.
(VVAW - HSUS Bill)
Creates an additional, duplicate felony penalty provision for exactly the same action, with intent the only difference. Misdrafted amendment to a confusingly written code section. (Note edited 1/15/2007)
Referred to House Committee for Courts of Justice
Amended bill reported from subcommittee on 1/29/2007
Reported from full committee with amendment 21-0 on 2/2/2007
Passed Block Vote 99-0 on 2/6/2007
Referred to Senate Committee on ACNR
Set for hearing on 2/12/2007 - Reported 15-0
Passed Senate 40-0 on 2/14/2007
Approved by Governor-Chapter 743 (effective 7/1/07) on 3/23/2007

HB1959 Licensure fee for dogs and cats.
Frank Hargrove, Sr.
Summary: Increases the amount that localities can charge for animal license taxes from $10 to $35, and limits the tax for additional dogs and cats to $2. (VVAW Bill)
This is Del. Hargrove's third VVAW and fifth bad animal bill in three years. Virginia law permits localities to set their own pet license fees up to a $10 cap. Current fees range between $4-$10. By forcing an additional pet tag sales at $2, HB1959 would reduce localities' tag revenue unless they raise their first tag fees substantially above today's levels. Localities already have the option of offering discounted tags for multiple pets. This bill is a misleading, stealth fee increase mandate, which when combined with 2006's "Gotcha" dog owner database, will increase costs to every state dog owner under the legislative guise of reducing their fees.
OPPOSE
Referred to House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
Set for subcommittee hearing in Patrick Henry Bldg Room 1 on 1/25/2007 at 7:00 a.m.
Tabled at Patron's request (defeated)

HB2081 Animal cruelty (1/8/2007 update)
Rob Wittman
Summary: Makes it a Class 6 felony for any person to willfully and unnecessarily cause the death of a dog or cat. The bill also allows an owner of a dog or cat to use all reasonable and necessary force, including lethal force, to protect his dog or cat, while on the owner's property, from imminent risk of injury or death from an attack by a dog. If the owner has taken such an action he is presumed to not have violated the animal cruelty statute.
Creates a new, vaguely defined first offense felony provision, eliminating such terms as "torture," "inhumane injury or suffering," and "cruelly and unnecessarily beats, maims or mutilates." Increased felony risk for every day pet owners, verternians and medical researchers. Contrary to the summary above, it also materially weakens Del. Nutter's 2004 provision that permits an animal owner to defend his pet from a dog attack on his property without prosecution.
OPPOSE
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
Set for subcommittee hearing in Patrick Henry Bldg Room 1 on 1/25/2007 at 7:00 a.m.
Tabled (defeated)

HB2098 Tethering of animals (1/9/2007 update)
Ken Alexander
Summary: Makes certain acts associated with the tethering of animals a Class 3 (a fine up to $500) misdemeanor. The bill prohibits such actions as (i) tethering an animal that is less than six months old, except in an emergency, (ii) tethering an animal that has not been spayed or neutered, except in an emergency, (iii) using a tether weighing more than the animal can reasonable bear, (iv) when temperatures are greater than 85 degrees, or lower than 25 degrees Fahrenheit, ... etc, etc. Local governments are authorized to adopt an animal tethering ordinance that can be more restrictive than the proposed statute.
(VVAW-PETA-HSUS Bill)
Tethering isn't harmful to dogs - it keeps them safe. Eliminating tethering will be very difficult to enforce and will cause many dogs to be put down. Tethering doesn’t make a dog aggressive. See Cornell Vet School study. Most tethered dogs aren’t problems and in the few cases of mean dogs, the animal was aggressive BEFORE it was chained. What may be appropriate in urban Norfolk won't work on the Eastern Shore, in the Valley, Piedmont, Southside and elsewhere.
OPPOSE
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
Set for subcommittee hearing in Patrick Henry Bldg Room 1 on 1/25/2007 at 7:00 a.m.
Tabled (defeated)

HB2099 Dog license application. (1/9/2007 update)
Bobby Orrock
Summary: Delays until January 1, 2008, the requirement that the treasurer of a locality transmit a license application to the owner of an unlicensed, vaccinated dog.
This is last session's HB339 "Gotcha" dog owner database bill. Veterinarians are still required to send dog owner and dog information to county treasurers on schedule (7/1/2007), where that information will be publicly accessible to one and all.
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
Set for full committee hearing on 1/17/2007 - Reported 21-0
House passed 95-1 on 1/22/2007
Referred to Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources
Reset for hearing on 2/12/2007 - amended bill, deleting "secondary breed" reported 15-0
Passed Senate 40-0 on 2/14/2007
Senate amendments agreed to by House 96-0 on 2/16/2007
Approved by Governor- Chapter 270 on 3/12/2007

HB2100 License tax on dogs and cats (1/9/2007 update)
Bobby Orrock
Summary: License tax on dogs and cats. Provides a financial disincentive for dog and cat owners who have not spayed or neutered their pets by allowing localities to charge a license fee of up to $20 for each cat or dog that has not been spayed or neutered, until licensure reaches an estimated 75%. The local license fee for cats and dogs that have been spayed or neutered would between $1 and $10, which is the current allowable license fee. [Emphasis added] (VACA-VFHS Bill)
This bill summary is so misleading, it’s totally wrong. HB2100 is a continuation of a multi-year lobbying effort to charge owners of intact dogs and cats very much higher fees and impose other restrictions on them. It caps the tag cost for sterilized animals at $10, while permitting localities to charge owners of intact pets any price they choose. Statewide dog licensure is about 30%. Raising tag costs inappropriately will only drive it further away from this bill's stated 75% goal. This is a self-defeating socio-regulatory program that is bound to fail, here as it has everywhere else. Norfolk, Albuquerque and California jurisdictions have intact tag costs of $25-125 and their licensure rates are substantially lower than Virginia's 30% average. There will be increased public health risks as animal owners don't rabies vaccinate in order to avoid this bill's unlimited tag costs and 2006's "Gotcha" dog owner database (HB339). WV and NC have already reported multiple rabies cases in 2007 due to warmer winter weather. Virginia Rabies (Note updated 1/21/2007)
OPPOSE
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
Set for subcommittee hearing in Patrick Henry Bldg Room 1 on 1/25/2007 at 7:00 a.m.
Failed to report (defeated)

HB2242 Tethering of dogs (1/10/2007 update)
Algie Howell, Alexander (Patron list updated 1/22/2007)
Summary: Makes it a Class 3 misdemeanor to tether, fasten, chain, or tie a dog to a doghouse, tree, fence, or other stationary object. However, the bill provides a number of circumstances in which it is lawful to tether a dog. An animal control officer has the discretion to issue a correction warning to anyone who is violating the provisions of this bill, unless the health or safety of the dog is endangered, the animal has been wounded, or a correction warning has previously been issued. (PETA-HSUS Bill)
Tethering isn't harmful to dogs - it keeps them safe. Eliminating tethering will be very difficult to enforce and will cause many dogs to be put down. Tethering doesn’t make a dog aggressive. See Cornell Vet School study. Most tethered dogs aren’t problems and in the few cases of mean dogs, the animal was aggressive BEFORE it was chained. What may be appropriate in urban Norfolk won't work on the Eastern Shore, in the Valley, Piedmont, Southside and elsewhere. (Note updated 1/21/2007)
OPPOSE
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
Set for subcommittee hearing in Patrick Henry Bldg Room 1 on 1/25/2007 at 7:00 a.m.
Tabled (defeated)

HB2295 Surcharge on rabies vaccinations (1/9/2007 update)
Jenn McClellan, Armstrong, Eisenberg, Englin, Hall and Algie Howell (Patron list updated 1/22/2007)
Summary: Requires veterinarians to collect a $3 surcharge on each administered rabies vaccination and remit the money to the local treasurer. The funds raised pursuant to the surcharge shall be deposited in a fund to reimburse providers of low-cost and pro bono sterilization services. (VVAW Bill) WV and NC have already reported multiple rabies cases in 2007 due to warmer winter weather. Virginia Rabies This bill further discourages rabies vaccination and generally isn't well thought out. There's no oversight. It contains no "fund" or mechanism to disburse collected public money to participating veterinarians. Also missing are criteria for selecting which animals are sterilized. New Hampshire, which has a tag surcharge to fund private no cost or subsidized spay-neuter, employs an owner fitness test, e.g. does the owner smoke or drink beer? Nearly all of the money collected from dog owners there is spent on cat speuter. A $3 surcharge on rabies vaccinations would cost Virginia dog owners $1-1.2 million annually. (Note updated 1/20/2007)
OPPOSE
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
Set for subcommittee hearing in Patrick Henry Bldg Room 1 on 1/25/2007 at 7:00 a.m.
Reported w/o recommendation
Full committee tabled (defeated) 17-5 on 1/31/2007

HB2296 Licensure of cats and dogs (1/11/2007 update)
Jenn McClellan, Armstrong, Englin, Hall and Marsden (Patron list updated 1/22/2007)
Summary: Exempts releasing agencies, i.e. a pound, animal shelter, humane society, animal welfare organization, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, or other similar entity or home-based rescue, that releases companion animals for adoption, from the obligations of dog and cat licensure.
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
Set for subcommittee hearing in Patrick Henry Bldg Room 1 on 1/25/2007 at 7:00 a.m.
Reported with amendment
Full committee reported 22-0 on 1/31/2007
Passed Block Vote 99-0 on 2/3/2007
Referred to Senate ACNR
Set for hearing on 2/12/2007 - Reported 14-0
Passed Senate 40-0 on 2/14/2007
Approved by Governor-Chapter 640 (effective 7/1/07) on 3/20/2007

HB2365 Larceny of a dog collar; penalty (1/9/2007 update)
Ed Scott, Bell, Fralin (Patron list updated 1/18/2007)
Summary: Provides that any person who commits the larceny of an electronic, radio transmitting, or other collar from a dog is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor; however, if the animal wearing the collar is lost or killed as a result of the collar theft, the person is guilty of a Class 5 felony. The bill also provides that upon a finding of guilt, the court shall order that the defendant pay $1,000 restitution for any dog lost or killed, or greater proven actual damages. Such proven actual damages may include training expenses and lost breeding revenues. (VHDOA Bill)
Numerous hunting dogs across the Old Dominion are permanently lost or killed every year because their tracking collars were intentionally removed. This bill is modeled in part after a new North Carolina statue. Identical to SB1180.
SUPPORT
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
Substitute reported by criminal law subcommittee on 1/17/2007
Set for full committee hearing on 1/22/2007 - Reported 17-2
Referred to Committee on Appropriations - Reported 19-4 on 2/2/2007
Passed House 92-6 on 2/6/2007
Referred to Senate Committee for Courts of Justice on 2/7/2007
Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute 15-0 on 2/12/2007
Passed Senate 40-0 on 2/13/2007
House rejected Senate substitute 10-87 on 2/16/2007
Senate insisted on substitute 40-0 and requested conference committee on 2/20/2007
House acceded to request on 2/21/2007
Conferees appointed by House: Del. Ed Scott, Rob Bell, Ward Armstrong on 2/22/2007
Conferees appointed by Senate: Sen. Ken Stolle, Toddy Puller, Fred Quayle on 2/22/2007
Conference report recommending that the Senate Amendment in the nature of a substitute be accepted agreed to by House 85-0 on 2/24/2007
Approved by Governor - Chapter 484 (effective 7/1/07) on 3/19/2007

HB2525 Voluntary contributions of refunds; Spay and Neuter Fund (1/13/2007 update)
Sal Iaquinto
Summary: Distributes a contribution made to the Spay and Neuter Fund through the voluntary contribution of tax refunds to the locality in which the filer resides. The locality must use the contribution for the provision of low-cost spay and neuter surgeries. All contributions to the Spay and Neuter Fund are currently distributed to the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies.
Referred to Committee on Finance
Set for subcommittee hearing on 1/17/2007
Reported with amendment 21-0 on 1/22/2007
Passed House 98-0 on 1/25/2007
Referred to Senate Committee on Finance
Reported from Finance 14-0 on 2/7/2007
Passed Senate 39-0 on 2/9/2007
Approved by Governor - Chapter 69 (effective 7/1/07) on 2/19/2007

HB2558 Freedom of Information Act certain information in rabies vaccination certificates (1/20/2007 update)
Bob Brink
Summary: Exempts the names and addresses of animal owners contained in rabies vaccination certificates provided to local treasurers as required by § 3.1-796.87:1 from the mandatory disclosure provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. The bill requires that to be protected the animal owner must request in writing that the treasurer not release such information
Perhaps well-intentioned, but seriously insufficient dog owner privacy protection. VA's code explicitly requires the public release of current year licensing information, independent of the FOIA. § 3.1-796.86. "The information thus received shall be retained by the treasurer, open to public inspection, during the period for which such license is valid." This is a gigantic loophole. HB2558 would also continue to make such data available to zoning and licensing offices. Local treasurers must be instructed, by code, to share dog owner rabies and licensing information with NO ONE. (Note updated 1/21/2007) Referred to Committee on General Laws
Reset for subcommittee hearing on 1/23/2007 - Failed to report (defeated)
Tabling decision reconsidered, amended bill reported (22-Y 0-N) on 2/1/2007 (Note edited 2/2/2007)
Passed House Block Vote 99-0 on 2/6/2007
Referred to Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology
Reported from General Laws and Technology with amendment 14-0 on 2/14/2007
Passed Senate with amendment 40-0 on 2/19/2007
Senate amendment agreed to by House 94-0 on 2/21/2007
Approved by Governor-Chapter 660 (effective 7/1/07) on 3/20/2007

HB2686 Income tax credit; animal adoption tax credit (1/21/2007 update)
Ben Cline, Callahan
Summary: Allows a nonrefundable credit to individuals who adopt animals from pounds or nonprofit shelters, for taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2007.
Referred to Committee on Finance - Tabled (defeated)
Left in Finance

HB3004 Use of gas chambers for animal euthanasia prohibited (1/14/2007 update)
James Scott, Abbitt, Albo, Alexander, Amundson, Armstrong, Bulova, Callahan, Caputo, Dance, Dudley, Ebbin, Eisenberg, Englin, Hugo, Hull, Iaquinto, Marsden, McClellan, Miller, P.J., Moran, Plum, Poisson, Rapp, Suit, Toscano, Watts and Wittman; Senators: Deeds, Devolites Davis, Edwards, Hawkins, Herring, Houck, Potts, Puckett, Ticer and Whipple (Patron list updated 1/20/2007)
Summary: Prohibits the use of gas chambers for animal euthanasia. This bill has a delayed effective date of October 1, 2007. (VVAW Bill)
Del. Athey's HB2412 is another version of this same measure.
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
Set for subcommittee hearing in Patrick Henry Bldg Room 1 on 1/25/2007 at 7:00 a.m.
Tabled (defeated) - Left in House AG Committee

HB3053 Income tax credit; veterinarian pro bono services tax credit and companion animal adoption tax credit (1/20/2007 update)
Bob Hull, Callahan
Summary: Allows a nonrefundable credit to (i) veterinarians of $50 for each spaying, neutering or euthanasia procedure or other routine service performed at no cost on animals from public pounds and 501 (c) (3) shelters, and (ii) individuals for $100 who adopt animals from pounds or nonprofit shelters. The veterinarian services tax credit amount may not exceed $2,500 annually per veterinarian.
Referred to Committee on Finance - Tabled (defeated)
Left in Finance

HB3091 Dealers of companion animals (1/18/2007 update)
Tommy Wright
Summary: Exempts the occasional breeder, buyer, and seller of companion animals from being treated as a dealer. The occasional breeder, buyer, or seller is any person who makes only occasional sales, trades, or transfers of companion animals for the enhancement or preservation of a breed, as a hobby, or for a showing or other competition and any person who sells all or part of a litter bred for the purpose of obtaining a pet, a hunting dog, or a service animal. (VFDCB Bill)
Well-intended bill with multiple concerns. HB3091 ignores the federal retail-wholesale sales USDA regulatory dealer distinction and breaches that crucial animal owner protection or shield. This is a "mini-PAWS" bill that has more problems than its parent, creates additional ones and doesn't solve any. Who decides what's "occasional," a hobby sale, pet, hunting or service dog and how often are they changed? Does every county and city have separate rules? None of these terms are anywhere defined in VA's code. Does the bill's "making a profit" objective test increase the likelihood of IRS or VA Tax Department audits? HB3091 is basically identical to Del. Cole's HB1411, which was wisely PBI (rejected) in 2006. (Note updated 1/23/2007)
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
Set for subcommittee hearing in Patrick Henry Bldg Room 1 on 1/25/2007 at 7:00 a.m.
OPPOSE
Tabled at Patron's request - (defeated)

HB3147 Release of a cat or dog (1/19/2007 update)
Tom Gear
Summary: Requires the person who is seeking to release a cat or dog to a releasing agency or animal control officer to demonstrate he is the animal's owner by presenting evidence that the animal has been inoculated or vaccinated against rabies.
Puzzling bill. Reduces pound relinguishments by requiring current rabies vax on turn ins. How many cats are rabies vaccinated? Probably very few.
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
Set for subcommittee hearing in Patrick Henry Bldg Room 1 on 1/25/2007 at 7:00 a.m.
Tabled (defeated)

HB3195 Companion animal dealer permits (1/23/2007 update)
Clay Athey
Summary: Requires permits for dealers of companion animals in any locality that euthanizes healthy companion animals or funds animal control expenses through local real estate taxes. (VVAW Bill)
Forces every Virginia jurisdiction to license anyone who "for compensation or profit buys, sells, transfers, exchanges, or barters companion animals." A companion animal is defined as a domestic or feral dog, domestic or feral cat, nonhuman primate, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit not raised for human food or fiber, exotic or native animal, reptile, exotic or native bird. Localities may determine license fee schedules, inspections and other terms without state oversight. Fairfax County zoning ordinances currently forbid the sale of any pet(s) in a residential zone, independent of this bill. Similarly, Fauquier County today requires licenses of all citizens selling more than one litter per year. HB3195 makes localities license all animal owners, where previously such action was a local option.
OPPOSE
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
Set for subcommittee hearing in Patrick Henry Bldg Room 1 on 1/25/2007 at 7:00 a.m.
Tabled at Patron's request (defeated)

HJ567 Humane education resolution (1/13/2007 update)
Ken Alexander
Summary: humane treatment of animals; report. Requests the Department of Education to include standards on animal safety and the humane treatment of animals in future revisions of the Standards of Learning. However, in the event that the Department of Education determines that such a revision of the Standards of Learning is not feasible, the Department shall propose alternative methods of achieving the objective of including instruction on the humane treatment of companion animals to children in the public schools through the character education curriculum. (HSUS-PETA-VVAW Bill)
This is the seventh such animal rightist education bill in the last three years. SB952 (Potts), HJ209 (Alexander), SB166 (Edwards), HJ567 (Alexander), SB1276 (Whipple), SJ375 (Whipple). See PETA Denies 'Traumatizing' Kids. (Note updated 1/20/2007)
OPPOSE
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
Set for full committee hearing on 1/17/2007
Reset for subcommittee hearing in Patrick Henry Bldg Room 1 on 1/25/2007 at 7:00 a.m.
Tabled (defeated)

SB930 Humane investigators (1/13/2007 update)
Patricia Ticer, Del. Albo
Summary: Restores the humane investigator program to its pre-2003 status. In 2003, the law was amended to limit (i) the number of humane investigators to those currently serving and (ii) the number of programs to those currently in operation. The 2003 bill allowed those appointed prior to July 1, 2003, to be reappointed for three-year terms. This bill removes the limitations placed on the program by the 2003 law. (VVAW Bill)
Reinstitutes an unsupervised animal rightist volunteer vigilante force whose authority had previously sunsetted.
OPPOSE
Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources
Reset for hearing on 1/29/2007 - Failed to report (defeated) 6-9

SB932 Protective orders; companion animals and livestock (1/15/2007 update)
Patricia Ticer, Del. Albo, Eisenberg, Plum, J. Scott and Watts (Patron list updated 1/21/2007)
Summary: Provides that a court may include in a protective order entered under §§ 16.1-253, 16.1-253.1, 16.1-253.4, and 16.1-279.1 provisions for the protection of companion animals and livestock owned, possessed, leased, kept or held by the party, or his family or household members, for whose benefit the protective order was entered.(VVAW-HSUS Bill)
Creates court orders barring "offensive conduct against a companion animal or livestock." Whatever is that? This sounds very much like anti-owner animal guardianships. Virginia has a statute book full of laws protecting animals from abuse, cruelty or neglect, including bestiality. Do we need another for "offensive conduct," whatever that means, in the form of court-ordered animal guardianships? NO!
OPPOSE
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
Reset for hearing on 1/31/2007
Left in Courts of Justice

SB935 Mandatory cross-reporting by protective services agencies (1/15/2007 update)
Patricia Ticer, Del. J Scott, Watts
Summary: Adds animal control officers to the list of persons required to report known or suspected child or adult abuse or neglect. Requires mandatory cross-reporting of known or suspected animal abuse by individuals required to report child or adult abuse or neglect. Codifies animal control officer (ACO) child-adult abuse reporting requirement. Adds a new provision that physicians, nurses, teachers, public and private health care providers and administrators are required to report any suspicion of animal cruelty, abuse, or neglect to authorities within two business days, in effect creating a new group of untrained and unsupervised volunteer investigators. See SB930 above (VVAW-HSUS Bill)
OPPOSE
Referred to Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services
Set for hearing on 1/19/2007 & 1/26/2007- passed by for the day
Reset for hearing on 2/1/2007
Striken at the request of patron (15-0) on 2/2/2007

SB1180 Larceny of a dog collar; penalty (1/11/2007 update)
Ken Stolle, Deeds (Patron list updated 1/18/2007)
Summary: Provides that any person who commits the larceny of an electronic, radio transmitting, or other collar from a dog is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor; however, if the animal wearing the collar is lost or killed as a result of the collar theft, the person is guilty of a Class 5 felony. The bill also provides that upon a finding of guilt, the court shall order that the defendant pay $1,000 restitution for any dog lost or killed, or greater proven actual damages. Such proven actual damages may include training expenses and lost breeding revenues. (VHDOA Bill)
Numerous hunting dogs across the Old Dominion are permanently lost or killed every year because their tracking collars were intentionally removed. This bill is modeled in part after a new North Carolina statue. Identical to HB2365.
SUPPORT
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
Set for hearing on 1/17/2007 - substitute reported 15-0
Passed the Senate 40-0 on 1/23/2007
Referred to House Committee for Courts of Justice on 2/5/2007
Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute 19-2 on 2/19/2007
Passed House with substitute 93-4 on 2/21/2007
Senate rejected House substitute 3-36 on 2/22/2007
House insisted on substitute and requested a conference on 2/22/2007
Conferees appointed by House: Del. Ed Scott, Rob Bell, Ward Armstrong on 2/22/2007
Conferees appointed by Senate: Sen. Ken Stolle, Nick Rerras, Harry Blevins on 2/22/2007
Conference report agreed to by the House 91-0 and Senate 40-0
Approved by Governor - Chapter 721 (effective 7/1/07) on 3/21/2007

SB1276 Character education; humane education (1/15/2007 update)
Mary Margaret Whipple, Potts (Patron list updated 1/18/2007)
Summary: Adds that humane education, including compassion and responsibility in the treatment of companion animals, may be covered in character education programs.
(HSUS-PETA-VVAW Bill)
This is the seventh such animal rightist education bill in the last three years. SB952 (Potts), HJ209 (Alexander), SB166 (Edwards), HJ567 (Alexander), SB1276 (Whipple), SJ375 (Whipple). See PETA Denies 'Traumatizing' Kids. This controversial curriculum needs to be fully studied, not mandated by a handful of legislators. In 2005, Senator Potts' virtually identical SB952 was rejected by a 17-22 floor vote.
OPPOSE
Referred to Committee on Education and Health
Set for hearing on 1/18/2007 - Reported 10-5
Defeated: Floor Vote 19 YEAS, 21 NAYS on 1/23/2007

SJ375 Humane Education Week (1/13/2007 update)
Mary Margaret Whipple, Potts (Patron list updated 1/22/2007)
Summary: Designate the first full week in February, in 2007 and in each succeeding year, as Humane Education Week in Virginia and encourage the Department of Education to advise all public school divisions in Virginia to participate in the week. (HSUS-PETA-VVAW Bill)
See SB1276 note above.
OPPOSE
Referred to Committee on Rules
Reported from Rules with substitute on 2/2/2007
Senate agreed to by unrecorded voice vote on 2/5/2007 (Note updated 2/6/2007)
Referred to House Committee on Rules on 2/8/2007
Set for hearing on 2/14/2007
Reported from Rules 15-0 on 2/14/2007
Referred to House ACNR Committe on 2/15/2007
Left in Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources on 2/20/2007

2007 General Assembly Contact Information