Photo by Guy Hand
It appears that a bill sponsored by Idaho Senator Tim Corder to update Idaho’s animal cruelty laws, which passed the Idaho Senate with a 34 to 1 margin, has been stalled and perhaps killed thanks to House committee leader Representative Tom Loertscher.
Idaho’s animal cruelty laws have been ranked by several organizations as some of the most lax in the country. Attempts to address that issue was the subject of a recent Edible Idaho program called “Animal Welfare on the Farm.”
According to AP reports “Rep. Tom Loertscher, an eastern Idaho rancher and House State Affairs Committee chair, won’t give [the bill] a hearing because he doesn’t like provisions that threaten livestock owners who don’t provide medical care to sick or injured animals with a misdemeanor.”
Another Corder bill that would have addressed the influx of factory poultry farms to Idaho (Idaho currently has no factory poultry regulations) was also sent to committee to die.
Senator Corder had spent months trying to bring agricultural interests, animal-rights groups and environmentalists together to craft bills that he himself called small steps toward Idaho’s rapidly growing and comparatively weakly regulated factory farm sector.
In an e-mailed statement Corder wrote “It is one thing for a committee or board to vote down a bill after consideration. It is a tragedy when legitimate policy debates are deterred.”
The Humane Society of the United States, which recently ranked Idaho 49th by the number of laws the state has on the books addressing animal cruelty issues, is also criticizing the legislative move.
Here are the responses on the issue in today’s Idaho Statesman:
Why are they blocking animal cruelty bill?
I, and those who care about animals in this state, want answers from Rep. Tom Loertscher, House Affairs Committee chairman, and the House leadership team of Lawerence Denney, Mike Moyle, Scott Bedke and Ken Roberts. Why in the name of heaven aren’t they letting SB 1317 be heard in committee?
This bill is a decent compromise between those who want stricter penalties for acts of animal cruelty (like 45 other states already have) and various agriculture groups. These groups agreed on this bill. The Senate agreed that it made sense and passed it easily. Why can’t our House of Representatives at least hear it? Why won’t they explain why they “don’t like it”?
The session is almost over so I’m hoping for a miracle because I can’t stand the thought of another year without decent animal cruelty laws in Idaho.
KAMION GARNER, Boise
Time to emerge from the dark ages
I strongly support SB 1317, which provides stiffer penalties for those charged with animal cruelty/abuse and makes cockfighting a felony in Idaho. I understand the bill is “stalled” in the House State Affairs Committee in an act of basic “inaction.”
I understand faithful constituents of this bill have been sending or phoning Reps. Loertscher, Denney, Moyle, Bedke and Roberts with repeated inquiries on the status of this bill asking them to have a hearing and vote. To my knowledge, no responses are being received from any of the above legislators as to why they seem to be purposely “killing” this bill.
Although this bill is not nearly as extreme as I’d like to see, it’s a good compromise between all parties – including the agricultural industry – and it’s important that Idaho come out of the dark ages when it comes to the treatment of animals.
The statistics are well documented that the majority of animal abusers go on to commit more serious abuses and crimes with time. I don’t think any of us want cockfighting or animal fighting in our own neighborhoods, nor the type of people and drugs it attracts. We must make our legislators more accountable by requiring they pass this very important piece of legislation.
MELODIE JONES, Eagle
More on this story at the Idaho Statesman: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/03/25/1129691/some-bills-die-with-a-whisper.html
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Guy Hand is a writer, public radio producer and photographer specializing in food and agriculture. |
Unbelievable! Even with a full out campaign by the Idaho Humane Society and other animal protection groups, he’s going to tank this? How backwards can we be? And I say this knowing I’ll incur the wrath of my sheep-ranching realtives!
It sounds like that some common sense has happened? Animal rights people are buying votes in every state it appears they couldn’t buy Idaho, but as soon as some dumb ass is voted in watch out. Leave people alone, stay in the city and mind your own. It will come a day when farms and outdoor life do not exist because of animal rights people.