Protecting pets is on the political agenda this week as Virginia Senator Bill Stanley pushes for new animal-friendly laws. Stanley doesn’t keep it a secret he’s an all-around animal lover, and he wants to use his voice and position with local government to improve life for the dogs, cats, and other animals that end up in the shelter system.
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The first of his proposed bills, Bill number 32, calls for the establishment of a state-wide database listing the names of everyone convicted of a felony-level animal cruelty crime. Every animal rescue, shelter, and adoption agency in the state will have access to the database and the ability to cross-reference potential adopters with the names on the list. It can also be used by the general public and law enforcement. Stanley’s goal is to stop the people who shouldn’t have animals from hurting more innocent lives.
In addition to the felony database, the senator is also working to revive Bill 175 addressing the number of days shelters are required to hold pets if a person has shown interest in adopting them. With this change, all shelters will be required to keep dogs and cats for an additional three days before considering them for euthanasia. Stanley told WSLS,
“This (bill) will enable us to find forever homes for these dogs and cats. Not only does this stop the needless euthanizing of dogs and cats, it will, too, save a lot of money from the euthanasia drugs we have.”
The bill was originally passed by the Senate last year but got stuck in a House subcommittee. Stanley’s persistence will help it finally come to fruition. It’s currently waiting on a committee vote to be made official.
Lastly, Bill 28 is about preventing public funds from being used to support medical testing and research on dogs and cats. The bill is supported by several organizations and animal advocates including Danville Area Humane Society Executive Director Paulette Dean. Dean said,
“I don’t think that taxpayer money should be used for that.”
All together, the three laws will be several steps forward for dogs, cats, and the people who support their welfare in Virginia. Both the bill to create a felony database and to limit funding for medical research have been presented to Virginia General Assembly and have advanced to the Senate finance committee. The bill to limit animal euthanasia is expected to be voted on in committee later this week.
