Louisiana House Bill 1193 May 2008

[mjsmittyjr]

Senate Bill 783 by Senator Butch Gautreaux (Act 796) expands the powers and duties of the Louisiana Animal Welfare Commission within the office of the governor. The legislation specifically authorizes the commission to do the following:

(1) gather information from public records pertaining to the animals within the purview of the commission;

(2) inspect animal impoundment facilities for the purpose of making recommendations for improvements to those facilities and requires the governing authority to provide to the commission reasonable access to the facility, its records, and personnel within seven days of receipt of a written request; and

(3) request an animal control agency to produce public records pertaining to animal intake, adoption, and euthanasia.

House Bill 1193 by Representative Ritchie (Act 894) increases license fees for spayed or neutered dogs and cats from not more than $8 to not more than $10 and for unspayed or unneutered dogs and cats from not more than $16 to not more than $20. The legislation also requires individuals or businesses with more than five dogs that breed and sell retail, wholesale, or to the public to procure kennel licenses and pay kennel license fees instead of individual dog licenses and fees. The governing body of each municipality or parish may fix the sum paid annually for the kennel license fee which must be dedicated solely for animal impoundment facilities. The legislation also prohibits an individual or business that breeds, buys, or sells dogs from maintaining more than 75 dogs over the age of one year at any time for breeding purposes. Violators are subject to a penalty of a fine not to exceed $500 or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both.

The only thing I can say at least they were trying to do something right, but am I the only one that thinks 75 dogs for breeding is still a puppy mill