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.

     The request for co-sponsorship for LRB-2448/2, The Commerical 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.

     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 LRB2448/2!

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

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

     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 will now be officially introduced and be assigned a bill number -- and as soon as we have these, we will let you know. It will carry the names of all those Senators and Representives who have authored or co-sponsored the bill. That is a form of endorsement and support.

     The Assembly bill (Rep. Smith) will have an AB number. The Senate bill (Sen. Krietlow) will have an S number. Both bills are the same. By doing this, the bills move through the process of review by the Assembly and the Senate at the same time.

     After the bill is introduced and gets numbered, it will go to "leadership" of both the Senate and the Assembly and be assigned to a Committee for review.

     All Committees must hold public hearings. When the public hearing is scheduled, we will need people to go to Madison to testify or register "in Favor" of the bill. You cannot register In Favor unless you actually show up for the public hearing. You can fill out a piece of paper to register in Favor even if you do not wish to actually testify before the committee.

     During the committee phase, we will also do an email alert. Residents of Wisconsin can (and should) write, email and call the committee members to ask them to pass the bill out of committee favorable. We usually include language like "without ammendments"...because some really bad things can be done to good bills via amendments.

     One committee could vote to pass it along to another committe and the porcess of debate, review and public hearing starts again.

     That is a brief outline of what is to come in the near future. This will be a long process. We will keep everyone informed on this web site and via email alerts as each step must be taken.