Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN) - Promoting the humane treatment of animals through legislation, education and advocacy

Message From The President

Dear Friends,

This year's legislative session was a devastating loss for Texas animals and the animal welfare community. Good animal protection bills were killed -- not because they lacked merit and support -- but because they fell victim to House and Senate trade-offs and bill sabotage that served neither the interest of the decent people of this state nor the animals.

To this end, the puppy millers and the cockfighters, who shared the same legislative counsel, are savoring their joint victories as the clear winners of the 2009 Legislative session.

The losers? The dogs and cats who will continue to languish in the cruel and squalid conditions of mass breeding facilities and the gamecocks that will continue to be flayed to death with razor sharp steel blades in staged bloodsport events throughout the state.

The profiteers of such cruelty portray themselves as "pet lovers" and "game fowl raisers" to the media and the outside world, but it is by their actions and not their words that they will come to be known.

We will rebound from our defeats and begin our work anew, strengthened by the knowledge that there are more of us who oppose puppy mill cruelty and staged animal fighting than there are those who make their living from these reprehensible industries.

We will regroup, continue to increase our numbers statewide, strengthen our political relationships with our legislators - and be ready to work even harder and more effectively in the 82nd Legislative Session.

We have some exciting events in the planning stages for the months ahead to engage our newly formed regional chapters and to help raise public awareness about THLN and our fight against animal cruelty.

Thank you for ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK this session and please know that your local efforts helped win the support of many of your legislators. Both the puppy mill and the cockfighting bills passed the House of Representatives with overwhelming support, which was no easy feat.

Many good bills take more than one session to be successful, so let's build on the groundwork we've laid and move ahead.

The final results of the 81st Legislative Session:

THLN-Supported Bills:

HB 853 - A bill to include companion animals in domestic violence protective orders - Failed

HB 1320 - A bill to strengthen existing cockfighting laws - Failed

HB 3180 - A bill to regulate puppy mills and pet sales - Failed

HB 3713 - A bill to make technical changes to assist animal control departments in euthanizing animals by allowing them to handle controlled drugs used for sedating animals prior to euthanasia - Failed

SB 554 /HB 1147 - A bill to allow dog fighting to be classified as organized crime and additionally allows for the forfeiture of all property including cash, vehicles, etc. associated with dog fighting - Passed

SB 634 - A bill relating to the unlawful restraint of a dog - Failed

SB 1845 - A bill relating to the sterilization of dogs and cats; providing a penalty - Failed

Bills/Amendments Opposed by THLN:

HB 836 - A bill relating to sport hunting of feral hogs by helicopter - Failed

HB 1500 - A bill that would allow hunting, trapping and capture of reptiles, amphibians and insects from public roads or right of ways - Failed

HB 3117 - A bill relating to the possession, custody, or control of a bobcat, cougar, or coyote - Failed

SB 408 (amendment) amends the current civil seizure statute to give the animal owner an appeal from the justice court order dispossessing the owner of ownership in the animal - Passed (HB1046 was the original bill in the House where it failed, but the language of 1046 was attached to SB 408 as an amendment - which passed)

Horse Slaughter: Our lobbyists monitored legislation throughout the session to guard against any attempts to legalize horse slaughter for human consumption. The current ban will remain upheld.

Sincerely,

Cile Holloway, President