In The Legislature:
A Brief History of WI Act 90

   AB-250 / SB-208 (formerly LRB-2448/2), THE COMMERCIAL DOG BREEDERS LICENSURE BILL

        On 8 April 2009, Representative Jeff Smith and Senator Pat Kreitlow announced their long-awaited joint House / Senate bill to provide for licensing and inspection of breeders and sellers and help to protect dogs by setting standards for their care.

        AB-250 / SB-208 (formerly LRB 2448/2), the Commercial Dog Breeders Licensure Bill, is the culmination of a year's effort by the legislators and a working group comprised of all stake-holders: humane organizations and rescues, hobby breeders, commercial breeders and sellers, DATCP, and veterinarians. This is the bill we have been working so hard to get introduced -- but our work is just beginning.

       The request for co-sponsorship for AB-250, The Commercial Dog Breeders Licensure Bill, closed on April 24, 2009 at 5:00 pm. Many have mentioned the number of calls and emails from constituents urging them to do so! If your representatives are on this list, please email them and thank them. (You can find contact information for your area's representatives by going to: http://www.legis.state.wi.us./ and clicking on the "Who Represents Me?" link in the middle of the page.)

     Many of you are asking how this support compares with past bills. In 2003-2004, the AB536 gained 40 authors and co-sponsors. The CURRENT Smith - Krietlow bill has a total of 71 authors and co-sponsors! Congratulations to everyone who worked to get this great support to AB-250 / SB-208!

     For the complete list of the authors and co-sponsors, please see our Cosponsors list

       Does having so many co-sponsors mean we are half way to passing the bill?

       No, it only means that 70 out of 132 members of the legislature (99 Representatives in the Assembly and 33 Senators in the Senate) have "pre-approved" the bill by signing onto it as a co-sponsor or author. We still have a long way to go, and will still need your help to get this bill passed!

        As it moves through the process, it is possible that some who signed on will step away (amendments and other pressures can influence that). Of course, there are those who will support it who have not signed on. Some legislators just don't sign on as co-sponsors to anything as their own personal policy. The bottom line is having a positive acknowledgement of the value of the bill from more than half of all the people who will vote on it is a very good sign. It is rare for a bill to have this many co-sponsors.

       The bill was officially introduced in both the Assembly and the Senate, and assigned bill numbers AB-250 and SB-208. It was then assigned to the Assembly Committee on Consumer Protection and the Senate Committee on Small Business, Emergency Preparedness, Technical Colleges, and Consumer Protection.

       All Committees must hold public hearings. A joint public hearing for AB-250/SB-208 was held on Wednesday, 23 September 2009 at 10:00 AM . Supporters outnumbered opponents about 20 to 1, and so many of you made statements that the hearing ran for over 4-1/2 hours! If you'd like to watch or listen to the proceedings, please see:

You ou can skip ahead or back by using the little slider bar right under the image box in Windows Explorer.

     The Wisconsin Legislature website features an official record of the 13 October 2009 joint committee public hearing. This includes lists of those who spoke or registered for or against the bill. (Note: please see link bar at left; scroll down to "AB250" and click.)

     You can also see TV news video coverage:

       On 16 September, in preparation for the Public Hearing, Rep. Smith introduced Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 to clarify some of the language of the bill and to address some valid concerns of his constituents. On 23 September, Sen. Kreitlow offered the same amendment in the State Senate.

       On 14 October, the Senate committee on Small Business, Emergency Preparedness, Technical Colleges, and Consumer Protection passed SB-208 out of committee to the legislative floor and, by unanimous vote, recommended passage as amended! ON 21 October, the Assembly committee on Consumer Protection did the same.

       If you would like to join us in THANKING all Senate Committee members, please see our AB-250/SB-208 In Committee page for contact information.

       27 October 2009: AB-250 PASSES IN ASSEMBLY BY UNANIMOUS VOTE!

       On 27 October 2009, The Wisconsin Assembly passed AB-250, the Commercial Dog Breeders Licensure Bill, by unanimous vote, 96 to 0!!!! What a great day for dogs and the people who love them in Wisconsin.

       Rep. Jeff Smith asked that his vote be dedicated to Wilbert Ribbens, who passed away the day before the public hearing on this bill. Mr. Ribbens was a great animal lover whose letter to his daughter about a sick, sad pet store puppy over 10 years ago laid the groundwork for the Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project and, incidentally, today's vote.

       Please join us in THANKING Rep. Smith and each and every one of our WI Representatives!

     The Wisconsin Legislature website features an official record of the 27 October 2009 session. Visit the Assembly Floor Session Archives for 27 October 09, then click on Watch under floor Session (Part 2). AB-250 comes to the floor at the 7:55 mark, which can be scrolled to using the sliding cursor.

28 October 2009: UNANIMOUS AYE VOTE FROM JOINT FINANCE COMMITTEE!

       The Joint Finance Committee met on 28 October 2009. 15 out of 16 members were present, and ALL 15 voted AYE to pass SB-208 on to the full Senate for a vote on 5 November!

       Several Committee members spoke to give ringing endorsements to the bill!

5 NOVEMBER 2009: UNANIMOUS AYE VOTE FROM STATE SENATE! 32 out of 33 members were present and all 32 voted AYE.

1 DECEMBER 2009: GOVERNOR DOYLE SIGNS AB-250 INTO LAW!

       Please join us in THANKING Governor Doyle and each and every one of our WI Representatives!

        From the bottom of our hearts, we Thank you for all of your phone calls, letters, emails, petitions, protests, and endless, undying support. Without your help, our decade-long dream for dogs in Wisconsin would never have become a reality.

       Sadly, one of our staunchest supporters, Joyce Kitsemble, passed away on Tuesday. Being able to come to Madison from her home in Wisconsin Rapids to witness Governor Doyle's signing of AB-250 was one of Joyce's proudest moments.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

       Even with this excellent law on the books, our work has just begun. Next comes the arduous task of writing the Administrative Rules, which detail the specifics for enforcement of the law -- things like basic definitions of food, shelter, exercise, and other requirements. These specifics will be hammered out by a committee of ALL stakeholders, including commercial breeders and pet stores, so gaining a consensus will not always be easy.

       Commercial breeders will still exist, and pet stores will continue to bring puppies in from other states to sell if they cannot acquire them cheaply in WI -- so we cannot relax our vigilance.

       And what will happen to the hundreds of dogs in the puppy mills around Wisconsin that do not measure up to the new requirements, or whose owners do not wish to upgrade their facilities?

       These challenges, and more, still face us. Puppy mills and pet stores that sell puppies will not disappear overnight -- let's take a moment to celebrate, then roll up our sleeves and stride forward together to do what is necessary to make these abuses a footnote in Wisconsin history!