Alaska Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

SPEAK OUT FOR ANIMALS Alaskan Anti-Cruelty Bills • HB 6 (by Rep. Bob Lynn) • HB 138 (by Rep. Carl Gatto) • S 214 (by Sen. Bill Wielechowski) The Alaskan legislature PASSED three animal-related bills in April 2010: HB 138, which strengthens the animal cruelty statute, HB 6, which defines bestiality as an act of animal cruelty, and S 214, which will make egregious acts of animal cruelty a felony on the first offense rather than the third. Senator Wielechowski's office sent us this email with the good news: From: "Shelly Morgan" Subject: PR 4-18-10: Animal Cruelty Bill Passes Legislature Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 09:27:22 -0800 Thank you so much for all of your help and support of SB 214, HB 6, and HB 138. We passed it all in one nice package last night (or should I say early this morning) in the SCS for HB6. Unanimous concurrence vote in the House! Thanks again! Shelly Morgan Office of Senator Wielechowski State Capitol, Room 413 Juneau, AK 99801 907-465-3723 office 907-465-6615 fax shelly.morgan@legis.state.ak.us Read the official press release here. We thank everyone who voiced their support for these vital pieces of legislation. Your voices made all the difference to the Alaskan animals who cannot defend themselves. • HB 138 (additional links) http://house.legis.state.ak.us/rep.php?id=gat http://housemajority.org/spon.php?id=26hb138-134 • HB 6 (additional links) http://house.legis.state.ak.us/rep.php?id=lyn http://housemajority.org/spon.php?id=26hb6-146 http://alaskadistrict31.blogspot.com/search?q=hb6 • S 214 (additional links) http://senate.legis.state.ak.us/senator.php?id=wie http://www.aksenate.org/wielechowski/012610_capitol_brief.htm Anchorage Daily News story: Abused Animals have a cop who finds the time to care http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/crime/story/783579.html [excerpt] "Under current state law, it takes two prior animal cruelty convictions before the charges are elevated from misdemeanors to felonies. So a person who tortures an animal to death could theoretically face the same misdemeanor charges and penalties as someone who accidentally hits a dog with a car and doesn't stop (municipal code says you must). "And until last year, this state didn't even have that. Alaska ranked close to dead last in terms of animal protection laws, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, a national group working to toughen cruelty laws. The state inched up a few notches, from 48th to 42nd, when the Legislature signed off on a law making the third animal cruelty offense a felony. "Efforts are under way to move higher up the list. During the legislative session that just adjourned, Rep. Bob Lynn, R-Anchorage, introduced HB 6, which would specifically ban bestiality. "Lynne's bill notes the link between animal cruelty and violence against humans, including the high rate of sexual predators with animal sex in their backgrounds. HB 6 would make this a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $10,000 fine. It passed the state House unanimously. If it is passed by the Senate, Alaska will become the 36th state to have this crime on the books. "HB138, sponsored by Rep. Carl Gatto, R-Palmer, makes certain types of animal cruelty a felony the first time. It ended the session in the House Judiciary Committee and will be addressed again next session." [from article by Debra McKinney, 5/4/09]		SPCA @ A GLANCE Business Office & Spay Clinic 549 W. Int’l Airport Rd. Suite B-2 Anchorage, AK 99518 (907) 562-2999 Thrift Shop 549 W. Int’l Airport Rd. Suite B-4 Anchorage, AK 99518 (907) 562-1092 Pet Adoption Center 7309 Arctic Blvd. Anchorage, AK 99518 (907) 344-3622
Make a donation and save a life! The Alaska SPCA is a private, non-profit organization funded by donations and proceeds from our thrift shop. We do not receive any funding from government sources, nor are we affiliated with any national organization. All proceeds from our services benefit our shelter animals and programs. Thank you on behalf of all the animals!