Latest News
August 26, 2011. SWP board members are contacting members of the Association of Washington Cities' and Washington State Association of Counties' legislative committees to encourage support for the spay/neuter assistance bill.
July 11, 2011. We're looking to build our network of spay/neuter bill supporters and advocates! Please see our advocates page.
April 27, 2011. Governor Gregoire signs SSB 5065, Prevention of Animal Cruelty. Press release and flyer (NEW).
March 3, 2011. The hearing was held before the House Early Learning & Human Services Committee.
February 25, 2011. A hearing has been scheduled for the spay/neuter assistance bill on March 3, 2011 at 8 a.m. before the House Early Learning & Human Services Committee.
February 16, 2011. We are awaiting word concerning whether or not SB 5151 will receive a hearing.
February 6, 2011. We are requesting that supporters of the spay/neuter bill, SB 5151 contact their state senators. Here is our call to action page. Following is background on the status of SB 5151 in the senate.
After being introduced in the legislature in January, SB 5151, the spay/neuter assistance bill was referred to the Senate Government Operations, Tribal Relations & Elections Committee chaired by Senator Craig Pridemore. We have just been informed that a hearing is not likely to be held on the bill in that committee. That means that we may not have an opportunity to express our views in testimony to the legislature, and the bill may reside in the committee without further action until the 2012 state legislative session.
The Senate's Concerns
There are concerns about the spay/neuter bill because it includes a fee of 2.5c per pound on pet food at the distributor level (not the retail level). (That fee would produce approximately $10 million per year and fund up to 65,000 spay/neuter surgeries per year.)
Here's our understanding of those concerns:
1. Some members of the senate think that the public would perceive passage or even serious consideration of the spay/neuter bill as inappropriate, given that it would authorize a fee to help animals while at the same time social and human services funded by the state are taking serious cuts.
2. Although the spay/neuter bill is funded by a fee, the public will consider it a new tax, and thus it will not be received well by the public.
Our View
1. The spay/neuter assistance bill is serious. Failure to pass the bill is not just an inconvenience. It is a matter of life and death for companion animals, and whether it passes or not will determine the fate of tens of thousands of cats and dogs each year.
Its benefits go beyond compassion for animals. It would help save local governments and shelters millions of dollars over the long run by reducing animal care and control burdens. In addition, the bill would contribute to public safety by helping to reduce the risks of dog bite injuries and related pain and suffering, costs, and liability.
The bill does not divert even ONE DIME from any social or human service program. In fact, it would help caretakers of companion animals who are in financial need by making spay/neuter surgery affordable throughout Washington.
2. The public does not like taxes or fees, but it is our observation that they will accept the pet-food fee. The fee is minimal (2.5c per pound of pet food), and the money is directed to a cause that people believe in. We have gathered between 5,000 and 6,000 petition signatures from citizens around the state who support the spay/neuter bill and accept the fee.
Senator Pridemore is a strong supporter of SB 5151. In fact, he was the prime sponsor of the 2009/2010 spay/neuter bill. However, he needs our help to let senate members and senate leadership know that there is broad support for the bill; that the bill supporters deserve a chance to express their views; and the bill should move forward. If that support from the senate materializes, he will present that to senate leaders for their consideration. It may or may not result in hearing, but that option will at least be considered.
February 3, 2011. Save Washington Pets is advocating for passage of a bill that strengthen's our state's animal cruelty law. Get more details on SB 5065 and HB 1147 on this page. A hearing was held to take comments on the bill on January 28, 2011 before the Senate Judiciary Committee. We are working with legislative staff on minor amendments to the bill that will be presented to the bill's prime sponsor, Senator Mike Carrell. If the amendments are acceptable, we expect them to be considered soon by the full committee.
January 14, 2011. The spay/neuter assistance bills are scheduled for introduction in the Washington State Senate and House of Representatives on January 17, 2011 as Senate Bill 5151 and House Bill 1226.
January 8, 2011. Winners of the December petition signature contest are announced. (December was the last month of the contest). See December's contest winners.
November 13, 2010. Candidate Endorsements and Projected Winners. Votes continue to be counted following the November 2, 2010 election. Based upon tallies of votes to date, Save Washington Pets has projected that 60 of the candidates it endorsed have been elected or re-elected to the state legislalure, while 10 endorsed candidates were defeated. Three races are currently considered too close to call. Please see the results on our endorsements page.
November 8, 2010. Winners of the October petition signature contest are announced! Please visit our contest page.
October 20, 2010. Press Release with League of Humane Voters, Washington Chapter.
October 14, 2010. Candidate Endorsements. Save Washington Pets and the League of Humane Voters, Washington Chapter worked together to evaluate the candidates for the Washington State senate and house of representatives running in the 2010 election. Our goal was to identify the candidates most likely support humane legislation. Our endorsements following this review are posted here.
The decision to endorse each of these candidates was made based on the past voting record for incumbent candidates and the candidates’ responses to the humane legislation questionnaire (discussed in the August 3 news item below). For some candidates there was no information from which to make an endorsement, since they have not held office and did not answer the questionnaire. In a few races both candidates were considered essentially equal in terms of their positions on humane legislation. In those cases, we believe that both candidates should be recognized for their supportive positions on animal welfare and so both names are listed.
October 9, 2010. Results of the September petition signature contest are posted. Thanks to everyone who participated!
August 3, 2010. The League of Humane Voters, Washington Chapter and the Washington State Federation of Animal Care and Control Agencies conducted a survey of all primary candidates for the Washington State Senate and Washington State House of Representatives. Candidates were asked to state their opinions and positions on animal welfare legislative issues involving:
- Companion Animal Spay/Neuter Assistance
- Feeding of Wildlife
- Wildlife Trapping
- Continuous Chaining or Tethering of Dogs, and
- Humane Treatment of Livestock
The results of the survey are published on the
League of Humane Voters website.
Please take a few minutes to review the results. Over 100 candidates responded.
February 18, 2010. Washington State Senate Resolution 8702
is passed to honor those individuals and organizations participating in Spay Day 2010.
October 14, 2010