Action You Can Take NOW:

>>> WRITE LETTERS and MAKE CALLS - TWO URGENT BILLS!!! <<<

Opponents to these bills are outnumbering us in phone calls and LETTERS. This is not a reflection of the real numbers of people who want these bills to pass, but a reflection of the determination on the part of the people who want to continue profiting from the torture of animals. PLEASE HELP, MAKE THE CALLS, WRITE THE LETTERS. Emails are not as useful as calls, and calls are not as useful as actual mailed or faxed letters. Don't let the abusers win.

PUPPY MILL LEGISLATION: PA H.B. 2525:
This bill overhauls Pennsylvania's Dog Law to address the problem of large scale commercial dog breeding facilities, or "puppy mills." This bill would define "commercial kennels" as any facility that sells dogs to a dealer or pet shop or sells more than 60 dogs per year. It also establishes additional protections for the dogs raised in commercial kennels, including requirements about food and water, shelter, vet care, and housing. This bill also establishes stronger protections for breeding dogs over the age of 12 weeks, prohibiting stacking of wire cages and requiring increased space and vet care.

BAN SURGERY WITHOUT ANESTHESIA: PA HB 2532
Prohibits tail docking, debarking and surgical birth, unless performed by a veterinarian under anesthesia.

Click here for a sample letter and talking points. Be polite, be firm, and tell them the League of Humane Voters, with members throughout PA, is watching them closely.

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CALL:
The Dog Tethering Bill, HB 1065, will save thousands of dogs in Pennsylvania from a neglected, abused life at the end of a chain. With controls on how long a dog can be tethered, the nature of the tether and collar used, and requiring protection from weather and access to food and water, this bill will make life better for many, many dogs. The bill needs to pass UNAMENDED, meaning in its original form, without the changes recently tacked on by various legislators. This bill is ready to go, as is, and we need you to call your reps to let them know that you want it passed, unamended, and that their support is key to your continued support for them as an elected official. If your rep is one of the bill's co-sponsors, ask him or her to speak to those who are not in support and encourage them to vote for the bill and remove any amendments.

Click here to find your rep and call him or her to support this bill in its UNAMENDED form. Be sure to call your PA HOUSE REP, not your PA Senator -- this is still a HOUSE bill (note the HB preceding the bill number).

To double-check that you're calling your House Rep and not your Senator, click here to see an alphabetical list of House Reps, with their District #s noted. You can click their names to see their contact info.

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CALL:
Senate Bill 1150, which would stop caged animal shoots, has been introduced by Senator Patrick Browne in the Pennsylvania Senate. SB 1150 would ban killing animals launched from box traps or tied in place, which would make the pigeon shoot impossible and would prevent things like the turkey shoot that we all saw occur at a "Sportsmen's" club last year. You can help get this bill passed by contacting your state senators -- click here to find out who yours are and to get their contact information.

Please make the calls -- the Senate needs to hear, early and often, that this is a popular piece of legislation. If your Senator is a supporter of the NRA (or at least afraid of them), please let him or her know that no respectable hunter favors the shooting of animals tied down or launched into the line of fire -- that's not a sport, it's a cruel, cowardly game that no decent society should allow to continue.

House Bill 2130 was introduced this week, and replaces HB 73, the "Pigeon Shoot Bill". New HB 2130 has the exact same wording as SB 1150 (see paragraphs above), and we should all call our PA House Reps to ask them to support it. If they're not already doing so, ask them to co-sponsor the bill, and at the very least, to vote YES on it.

Click here to find your House Rep by zip code (type it into the upper right hand corner of the resulting webpage) -- be sure you're calling the House rep and not your Senator, on HB 2130. You'll be calling your Senators for SB 1150. If you're confused, send us an email, and we'll try to help.

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Finding Your Legislators:

Use the following links to find your representatives -- local, state, and federal -- and get in touch with them. You can call, email, mail, or fax them regarding specific legislation (see links later on this page to find out what's pending in PA) or just get in touch to let them know that you want them to vote in support of legislation that protects animals and the environment.

PA House of Representatives: Use the link in the upper right corner of this site's home page to find your PA House Rep by your zip code (you can also search by County). You'll be given the names (and links to contact info) for both your PA House Reps and your PA Senators. NOTE! Be sure to call the right one ("HB" in front of the bill number means its a House bill, "S" means it's a Senate bill) when you're calling regarding legislation.

PA State Senate: This link will take you to a site very much like the House site above. You'll enter your zip code in the box in the upper right corner, and then see both your State Senators and House Reps listed onscreen. Again, if you're calling about a Senate Bill (number preceded by "SB" or "S.B."), contact the Senator, not the House Rep.

Project Vote Smart: This site requires your 9-digit zip code -- if you don't know the whole 9 digits, click HERE to find it, courtesy of the US Postal Service.

Congress.org: Use this site to locate your members of the 110th Congress. You'll also find links to federal agencies, the White House, and more.

Contacting the Congress. Visit this site to look up your representatives' information based on your zip code (5 digits is fine) and State. You can also do a more specific lookup with your street address. The current congressional schedule is available, as are lists of committees and subcommittees, who's on them, and what they're working on now.

PA PowerPort. Use this site to find your PA officials -- from state government to your local municipality. If your Pennsylvania town/city/village has a website, you can find it here.


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General Pennsylvania Legislative Information:

Visit the Humane Society's state-based page for what's currently pending in PA:

PA Legislation

Looking for a specific piece of legislation? Whether it's on the books now, held up in committee, or being voted on in the current session, you can find it by clicking the link below. You can search by keywords, names of bills' sponsors, dates, and other methods. You can also find legislative history, read the congressional record, check out committee reports, and learn about our Constitution, Supreme Court, and take advantage of other educational tools. Click below:

Thomas' Legislative Information

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