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Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Several Bills Aim To Increase Animal Protection
By Dan Boyd
Journal Capitol Bureau
SANTA FE — Animal welfare reform proposals are stacking up in the Capitol.
A handful of bills already have been introduced in the Legislature and are poised to begin working their way through the committee process.
Proposals range from criminalizing the leaving of pets unattended in a vehicle in hot weather to making the intentional starvation of animals a fourth-degree felony punishable by up to 18 months behind bars.
“We're trying to address some of the most immediate needs in the state,” said Monica Garcia, communications manager for Animal Protection Voters. “Sometimes the animals' state depends on the financial situation of their owners.”
And with the state's economy sputtering, advocates say the time is right for increased accountability.
Animal Protection Voters, an Albuquerque-based animal advocacy organization, is part of a coalition of animal rights groups that have come together to work on a comprehensive set of amendments to New Mexico's existing animal cruelty laws.
Animal protection meas-ures being pushed this session include:
n Making animal owners responsible for the health care and shelter that neglected animals receive.
n Providing funding for new horse shelters.
n Defining criminal negligence for animal owners and making the act a felony as part of the state's animal cruelty laws.
Reports of malnourished and abandoned horses — such as one found near death last summer in Valencia County — have spurred some of the proposals, but the new laws wouldn't be exclusive to horses.
The state's animal cruelty statute currently excludes reptiles and insects, but all other animals are included.
And including reptiles in the animal cruelty laws is one of the legislative goals of Animal Protection Voters.
Attorney General Gary King is backing several of the proposed laws, calling them much-needed protections.
“Our state's animals are extremely vulnerable and it is incumbent upon us to provide for their safety,” King said in a statement.
Legislative sponsors of the proposals, which are scheduled to be discussed in committees this week, say the changes would make state laws more effective and enforceable.
“When someone inflicts serious harm on an animal, there should be serious consequences,” said Rep. Al Park, D-Albuquerque.
Animal protection laws by bill number
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