Maryland Votes for Animals (MVFA) is an organization with one overriding mission: To create an ever-growing voting bloc of animal advocates who will elect representatives willing to champion and vote for animal protection legislation, and to hold politicians accountable to their constituents.
Want to get involved with helping animals? Start here!
Your Calls Are Needed THIS WEEK to Help MD Dogs!
On April 26, 2012, the Maryland Court of Appeals issued a decision which has serious and far-reaching consequences for everyone in Maryland who deals with dogs. In the case of Tracey v. Solesky. The court ruled that in a dog attack involving a pit bull or a pit bull cross, the owner or other persons (including a landlord) who have the right to control a pit bull’s presence on a premises, is liable for damages caused by the dog. Previous to this ruling a landlord could only be held liable if the landlord had a reason to believe that a dog was dangerous.
Pit Bull Ruling is Set-Back for Maryland
On April 26, 2012, the Maryland Court of Appeals issued a decision in the case of Tracey v. Solesky. The court ruled that in a dog attack involving a pit bull or a pit bull cross, the owner or other persons (including a landlord) who have the right to control a pit bull’s presence on a premises, is liable for damages caused by the dog.
2012 Session - Wrap-up and Follow-up!
The 2012 session of the Maryland General Assembly (MGA) has ended with two important successes for animals---THANKS TO YOU! Other bills were not acted on this year. Here’s a synopsis and analysis of the 2012 session for animal protection bills.
Best Lobby Day Ever!
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| Click image for more pix of Humane Lobby Day 2012 at MVFA on Facebook |
The 5th Annual Maryland Humane
Lobby Day was better than ever!! Five years ago we started Lobby Day with only a dozen or so people---this year we had 126 participants! It was incredibly energizing to spend time with so many amazing animal advocates who are truly dedicated to making a difference for the animals through the legislative process. We hope all the attendees enjoyed the day and left feeling empowered—we know we did! Let’s be sure to keep in touch to continue this momentum, but if you weren't there, here's an update on the bills.
Hotlist Bills - Week of February 7th
This week's hearings are all about the Costs of Cruelty: (SB 203/HB 484 and SB 445/HB 336).
These bills will allow judges to order people convicted of cruelty to pay the costs of caring for the animals during the trial. This is critical for animal control folks, since right now, they are often stuck with the bill – which can be tens of thousands (sometimes hundreds of thousands!) of dollars. These bills would conceivably allow for non-profits or rescue groups to be reimbursed as well.
These bills will be considered THIS WEEK, in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Wednesday, February 8th at 1pm and in the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, February 9th at 1pm.
If your senator or one of your delegates is on these committees, call and ask for their support! Their phone and email addresses are listed on the committee links above. You can also find out who represents you here.
Note: Your phone call or email can be short and simple. Just say you support these bills and would like your Senator and/or Delegate to vote for them.
Action Alert for the First Three Bills of 2012
The 2012 session of the Maryland General Assembly has started and the first three animal bills have hearings this week! That means that it's time for all Maryland's animal advocates to pick up the phone on behalf of the animals. (And, F.Y.I., it's much more effective to pick up the phone instead of sending an email. Legislators are so inundated with emails that they're not as effective as they used to be.) Here are the first three bills with a short synopsis:
welfare protection. The success of animal rights legislation was due in large part to the dedication and efforts of Maryland Votes for Animals."
