HB14 takes the Pit Bull Terrier off the "vicious" dog list!
Fireworks went off, hurrays were shouted(and typed) and lots of congratulations were passed all around. I felt very proud of my state. After the goosebumps went away and the tears of joy were wiped, a common question circulated: now what?
The Senate passed a slightly different version of the bill from the one that was handed to them by the House. It included several amendments, some of which were semantic and others which further improved the bill. If you’re a policy nerd like me and would like to read a summary of these amendments, you can find them here.
Since both chambers of the General Assembly need to agree upon a single iteration of the bill, the most likely scenario is that the House will take up the amendments added in the Senate version, and then vote on it again. Once passed, it will move to the Governor for his signature. It will take effect 90 days following the Governor’s signature.
We’re currently warming up for an election year in which all of Ohio’s Representatives and half of its Senators will be up for reelection. It is critical that Ohioans keep the pressure on our legislators so we can get this bill passed before campaign seasons draws them away from the Statehouse and potentially hot-button issues like this one. It is true that given that both houses have already passed versions of HB14, the chances of it becoming the law of the land are very, very good. That said, I’m just not willing to rest my bets on very, very good chances. For the sake of dogs across Ohio, we need to make the passage of HB14 this session an absolute certainty.
To email your state representative, click here.
The Senate passed a slightly different version of the bill from the one that was handed to them by the House. It included several amendments, some of which were semantic and others which further improved the bill. If you’re a policy nerd like me and would like to read a summary of these amendments, you can find them here.
Since both chambers of the General Assembly need to agree upon a single iteration of the bill, the most likely scenario is that the House will take up the amendments added in the Senate version, and then vote on it again. Once passed, it will move to the Governor for his signature. It will take effect 90 days following the Governor’s signature.
We’re currently warming up for an election year in which all of Ohio’s Representatives and half of its Senators will be up for reelection. It is critical that Ohioans keep the pressure on our legislators so we can get this bill passed before campaign seasons draws them away from the Statehouse and potentially hot-button issues like this one. It is true that given that both houses have already passed versions of HB14, the chances of it becoming the law of the land are very, very good. That said, I’m just not willing to rest my bets on very, very good chances. For the sake of dogs across Ohio, we need to make the passage of HB14 this session an absolute certainty.
To email your state representative, click here.
http://centralohiodogblog.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/hb14-passed-the-senate-now-what/
