Texas Animal Cruelty Bills Update with good news!

[vermonster13]

Texas sportsmen should take immediate action to oppose legislation that will derail hunting and wildlife management.

 

On April 19, the Texas House of Representatives passed HB 2328 to rewrite animal cruelty statutes, combining previously exempted wildlife with domestic animals. The bill had overwhelming support, passing by a vote of 142 to 0, with a single abstention. Blurring the distinction between wildlife and domestic animals will leave sportsmen open to prosecution by animal cruelty statutes.

 

The legislation, introduced by Rep. Beverly Woolley, R-Houston, awaits action in the Senate Criminal Justice Committee.

 

Rep. Woolley made efforts to resolve issues in HB 2328, but the bill remains unacceptable. It attempts to exempt hunting, fishing and trapping, population and depredation control and normal agricultural practices, but it constitutes a major change to the existing statute. It leaves unanswered questions relating to wildlife management and feral animals, and provides a new landscape for animal activists to criminalize currently accepted activities.

 

Current statutes provide reasonable avenues for prosecution of animal cruelty and the changes to the law are unnecessary.

 

Senators are also considering Sen. John Whitmire’s companion bill, SB 1100. The bill is in the Senate Criminal Justice Committee.

 

The USSA is working with the Texas Wildlife Association (TWA) and others to defeat the bills.

 

Take Action! Texas sportsmen should contact their state senators to oppose the HB 2328 and SB 1100. Use the Legislative Action Center at  www.ussportsmen.org  to make contact.

[Danny Rowan]

I have emailed this to several people that I know in Texas who are hunters and who run hunting operations I sure hope we can stop this.

Danny

[Nakohe]

I wrote Gov. Perry and my State Senator and State Representative to try and help. Everyone in Texas needs to do this.

Donald

[vermonster13]

Legislators in the Lone Star State responded to a torrent of messages from sportsmen and amended an animal cruelty bill to protect hunters’ rights.

The USSA, Texas Wildlife Association and other groups had alerted sportsmen that HB 2328 threatened to blur the distinction between wildlife and domestic animals, leaving sportsmen open to prosecution by animal cruelty statutes. Responding to sportsmen’s pressure, lawmakers amended the legislation on April 18 to protect hunting and trapping.

“Sportsmen feared that HB 2328 would provide a new landscape for animal activists to criminalize currently accepted activities,” said USSA Vice President for Government Affairs Rob Sexton. “Amendments to Representative Beverly Woolley’s bill put hunters’ minds at ease by distinguishing wildlife from domestic animals, and enhancing exemptions for hunting, fishing and trapping.”

[CFlinn]

This sure looks like win-win for the anti-hunters. Texas is going to pass an animal cruelity law that makes the functional act of shooting an animal a felony, there's just an exemption WRT to hunting, ??????.

[Danny Rowan]

Yep, The bill needs to die. Even with exemptions for hunting and trapping I can see the antis trying to sue people over this. Bad decision. The law was fine the way it was.

Danny