Animal and Equine Advocates, we need your swift and continual help in West Virginia.
We need consistent and loud support for HB 4880 immediately. This bill is being call “A Safer World for Winston.”
What does this bill do?
1) Creates an animal shelter in each county or municipality (or they can contract with an existing shelter) and creates guidelines for enclosures so animals have room to move and lie down and be clean2) Allows humane officers to inspect shelters3) Removes from Code allowing animals to be destroyed in gas chambers4) Says owners of animals must provide the very basics – clean food, water, safe shelter5) Says commercial breeders cannot sell sick animals without consequences6) (as of 2/19) Will include Equines in the bonding and forfeiture code, protecting horses and serving the economic interests of counties during neglect cases, which is something pets already are afforded during cases.
Thank you to Delegate Graves of Kanawha County for the hardworking support of this bill and for the equine friendly amendments.
There are some changes that need made to some current language, including the bonding portion addition for equine and the May/Shall language for mandatory animal ownership bans for convicted persons.
Email and/or call all members of the House Judiciary, as they are not putting this on the agenda right now, and that is the step we need asap. A visit is icing on the cake.
https://www.wvlegislature.gov/committees/house/HouseCommittee.cfm?Chart=jud
Make a special email directly to the chairman at: john.shott@wvhouse.gov
A sample email is:
“I am a West Virginia Constituent.
I would like to see HB 4880 moved to the Agenda for the House Judiciary quickly.
I support much needed animal shelters in each county in our state, inspections of shelters, the prevention of the use of gas chambers (which isn’t practices in our state anymore), requiring owners to feed their pets and provide shelter, not allowing commercial breeders to sell sick animals and requiring bonding for equine cases in all counties in West Virginia during neglect and cruelty cases.
I know that law enforcement, pet owners, humane small farmers and animal control officers are widely supportive of making our animal protection codes stronger and never working to weaken our current codes.
I support this bill, and I ask you support HB4880, too.
Animal protection is something WV could be proud of, and working toward something better only means better for our state.
Thank you,
Name – county”
Animals cannot email and call and visit on their own. We need you to do this immediately.
Do not let the organizations that hate decent animal care win this year and defeat this bill.
https://www.wvlegislature.gov/House/roster.cfm
https://www.wvlegislature.gov/committees/senate/main.cfm
