Regarding opposition to Senate Bill 06:
Senate Bill 06 affects and imposes Draconian restrictions upon all small rescues in Oregon. None were consulted about the effects of this bill or asked for input yet they must live with the consequences. The bill is poorly drafted, costly and fails to achieve its purpose.
These are some of the objections:
• Under the guise of providing modest accountability, this bill grants unfettered police powers to enforcement agencies to search and inspect the private property of rescues, often their homes and homes of foster families, without the need to show probable cause. That violation of civil rights lends itself to broad abuse and is incompatible with Oregon’s democratic values.
• An entire group, private rescue, is presumed guilty and placed under close surveillance as if they were scofflaws. There is no evidence to support that prejudice.
• The cases used to buttress the need for legislation don’t fit the bill’s provisions. Alicia Inglish’s case was not about a small animal rescue but about long-standing criminality. The existing system worked. Complaints were filed, a warrant was issued and the dogs were seized in accordance with animal neglect and abuse laws that are already in place.
• Animal neglect and abuse laws already in place work effectively. Why target an entire group of small rescues, stripping them of many basic rights, when enforcement of existing laws can be effective?
• The base rate for failed abusive rescues is incredibly low. A law focusing on all rescues is not needed.
• The effect of this bill will be the loss of support of small rescues critical to saving companion animal lives in Oregon. They were not consulted; or included in the development of this bill yet it singularly negatively affects them.
New additions to SB 06
SECTION 12. { + This 2013 Act being necessary for the
immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, an
emergency is declared to exist, and this 2013 Act takes effect on
its passage. +
They’ve changed the bill, again, adding this to the end, changed section 10 and added 11, which describes lots of civil penalties, rescues can be given. .
Is there anything you can do, call or write your state Senator, get up petitions, to oppose passage of this bill?
I have done all three- hopefully other Oregon residents will do the same.
It has passed the Senate and is headed to the House. It passed by the margin of only four votes- maybe we can still defeat it
Does it change the amount of animals the rescue can have? How about the number of animals the fosters can have?
It’s not that clearly defined. They consider you a rescue if you have ten plus animals and the bill basically puts anyone with that number or above out of the realm of rescuer and considers them and treats them as a hoarder.