Last week, House Bill 2238 received a public hearing and was left pending in the committee. HB 2238 can still be scheduled for a vote and the Sportsmen’s Alliance will continue to monitor this legislation. We will inform you if further action is needed.
In the meantime, Senate Bill 876, an identical bill to HB 2238, is scheduled for public testimony tomorrow, March 28, at 8:30 a.m., in room E1.016, in the Senate Criminal Justice Committee.
As we previously reported on identical House Bill 2238, current law requires a dog breeder to obtain a commercial license if they own 11 or more intact females and sell 20 or more dogs in a license year. SB 876 lowers the licensing threshold to five intact females over six months of age and will remove the requirement of selling 20 dogs in a year.
Of serious concern is that the bills would apply to anyone who keeps five or more intact females – whether those females are bred or not doesn’t matter. The bill claims that the female’s purpose is for direct or indirect sale or for exchange in return for consideration and does not grant any exceptions for sporting dog breeders who compete in field trials, hunt tests or simply hunt their dogs and choose to breed an exceptional female after proving her ability.
To add insult, the new requirements for becoming a commercial breeder will include an annual license fee of at least $300, home inspections upon application and at least once every 18 months, unclear dog housing standards and yearly reporting of all dogs at the facility.
Texas has strict laws regarding animal abuse and this bill is nothing more than animal rights extremist “feel-good” rhetoric that does nothing to reduce animal abuse. Please use our take action button to email the committee to OPPOSE SB 876.
Don’t forget to share this message with your family, friends and fellow sportsmen urging them to also email the committee urging them to OPPOSE SB 876.
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.