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This is a critical time to pass life-saving legislation. You can save companion animals’ lives today by telling your state legislators that you support
Senate Bill 5329/House Bill 1406, which are in the Senate and House Agriculture Committees, respectively. This groundbreaking bill must pass through the committee to survive in the 2010 legislative session.
Please let Senator Brian Hatfield and Representative Brian Blake know that you want the bill passed through the agriculture committees that they chair. You can do this by sending a handwritten letter or e-mail, or by making a brief phone call. Let them know that you care about this bill – and tell them why.
Ensure that you are polite and respectful. Your initial communication will likely be with a legislative assistant, and it’s important to treat them well and make your message personal. Reference the names and numbers of the bills:
SB 5329 and HB 1406, companion animal spay/neuter assistance. Be sure to include your full name and mailing address with all written communication.
The following is a brief example of what your message may include, but remember to keep your own message personal. Why is this issue important to you? Are you a low-income household who needs support services for spaying and neutering operations? Are you sickened by the fact that more than 60,000 companion animals are euthanized every year in Washington State shelters? Are you in disbelief that nearly 50 percent of the animals who go into Washington shelters are euthanized every year? Are you an animal welfare organization or shelter worker who is overwhelmed with the number of “unwanted” pets who come in every day? Let Senator Hatfield and Representative Blake know why this is personally significant to you.
Example Message:
Dear Senator Hatfield and Representative Blake:
Please pass SB 5329/HB 1406 through your committee to provide animal spay/neuter
assistance.
(Include your own personal message here).
Sincerely,
Your Name
Your full address |
The purpose of this vital bill is to provide funding to
obtain affordable spay/neuter surgeries for low-income owners of cats and dogs
and provide spay/neuter surgeries for feral and free-roaming cats.
This bill is endorsed by animal welfare and advocacy agencies nationwide, including the Washington State Federation of Animal Care and Control Agencies, the Humane Society of the United States, the ASPCA, over 70 local humane societies, and hundreds of Washington State individuals who care about the welfare of companion animals.
There are currently an estimated 1.66 million to 1.86 million unaltered cats and dogs in Washington State alone. It is the goal of this bill to help fund 70,000+ spay/neuter surgeries per year under this program. The majority of the surgeries would be performed on cats and dogs who belong to low-income Washington State residents who are unable to afford the surgeries.
Write today to make a difference for animals!
Senator Brian Hatfield
Chairman, Senate Agriculture Committee
239 John A. Cherberg Building
PO Box 40419
Olympia, WA 98504-0419
hatfield.brian@leg.wa.gov |
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Representative Brian Blake
Chairman, House
Agriculture Committee
331 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
blake.brian@leg.wa.gov |
If you live outside of District 19, contact YOUR legislator and tell them that you support SB 5329/HB
1406. To find your legislator,
click here.
Spay/Neuter Assistance Bill Talking Points:
You could consider one or two pivotal “talking points” for your message, including the fact that this bill has its own funding source. Pet owners who care about animals in our community support this bill and are willing to pay for it. You could also mention the fact that tens of millions of dollars are collected through Washington State sales tax from the sale of pet products – but
not a penny of it goes to address pet population issues. It is unacceptable that our state continues to ignore this problem – and innocent lives continue to be lost. This bill also has statewide significance and deserves the chance to be voted on by the full house and senate. Don’t deny our state the right to have this bill move through the legislative process. The importance of this bill is not just a matter of being humane – it’s also a matter of responsible spending. Washington State taxpayers spend millions of dollars each year to handle homeless pets. Senate Bill 5329/House Bill 1406 is a sensible solution that will reduce the number of homeless cats and dogs through a statewide spay/neuter network, saving thousands of lives and millions of dollars.
Representative Blake’s proposed solution to free-roaming or feral cats is to euthanize them. Let him know that you disagree with this solution. Widespread euthanasia is not a publicly supported option for dealing with this cat population, and as a result, this policy will not succeed. The true solution for feral and free-roaming populations is providing spay/neuter assistance for community cats and spay/neuter assistance for tame cats who belong to low-income individuals.
(don't forget
to ask your employer
to match your donation)
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