The Oregon Senate began meeting again today, breathing new life into several bills affecting animals. Several good bills are almost through the process but need a final push to get a vote in the Senate. Meanwhile, at least one bad bill is still in play. For more information on these bills and what you can do, see below.
THE GOOD BILLS
House Bill 3213, the humane cosmetics bill, would generally prohibit the sale in Oregon of cosmetics tested on animals, which is cruel and unnecessary for most cosmetics and ingredients. By passing HB 3213, Oregon would join nearly 30 countries and 10 states in prohibiting the sale of animal-tested cosmetics. This bill has passed the House and a Senate committee and now needs approval only from the full Senate and the Governor.
House Bill 2915 would shrink the market for puppy mills and other mass breeding operations by prohibiting the sale of dogs and cats at retail pet stores. The bill has passed the House and a Senate committe and now needs approval only from the full Senate and the Governor.
House Bill 3464 would change the classification of beavers under the wildlife laws so they would be better managed and less likely to be killed on private property. Beavers are currently classified as a "predatory" species (even though they only eat plants), which means they can be killed on private property without a permit or a report to state officials. HB 3664 would change that and generally require a permit for killing beavers, which would encourage more tolerance and appreciation for the animals and the ways in which their dams help to create healthy watersheds. This bill also needs only a vote from the Senate and approval from the Governor to become law.
House Bill 2904 would require Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) to provide more information on its website about its use of non-human primates for research and experiments, which we hope would lead to better treatment of the animals. This bill has also been passed by the House and a Senate committee and needs only a vote from the Senate and approval from the Governor.
THE BAD BILL
House Bill 3086 would change the process for selecting members of the Fish and Wildlife Commission, which sets policy for how fish and wildlife are managed (and treated) in Oregon. Instead of selecting members primarily by Congressional districts, which ensure's that each member represents approximately the same number of people, HB 3086 would require one member from each of five "river basins" in Oregon. While this may seem innocent enough, it will increase representation from less populated areas where people are more likely to hunt, fish, trap, ranch and own agricultural land, setting back years of effort to have Oregon's fish and wildlife policy better reflect the views of all Oregonians, including the 80 percent who do not hunt, fish or trap.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Please call or email your state senator as soon as possible and urge your senator to support the good bills described above and oppose the bad bill. Please also call or email your state representative to urge your representative to oppose HB 3086. If you don't know who your state senator and state representative are, click here and enter your address to find out and get contact information.
It's good to use your own words, but here is a template for an email to your senator:
Dear Senator:
As your constituent and one of the many people who cares about the humane treatment of animals, I urge you to prioritize and support the following bills to protect and improve animal welfare in Oregon:
HB 3213 to prohibit the sale of cosmetics produced using cruel and unnecessary testing on animals.
HB 2915 to phase out the sale of dogs and cats at retail pet stores and shrink the market for mass inhumane breeding operations.
HB 3464 to remove beavers from the list of "predatory" animals that can be killed on private land without a permit or notice.
HB 2904 to require Oregon Health Sciences University to provide more information about how it uses non-human primates in research.
Please also oppose HB 3086, which would require members of the Fish and Wildlfie Commission to be appointed by river basin instead of Congressional districts. This would give rural areas of Oregon disproportionate representation on the Commission and diminish the perspectives of Oregonians who do not hunt, fish or trap, but who still value and care about Oregon's fish and wildlife and how they are treated.
For an email to your representative, you only need to mention HB 3086 because representatives have already voted on the other bills. So you could say:
Dear Representative:
As your constituent, I urge you to oppose HB 3086, which would require members of the Fish and Wildlfie Commission to be appointed by river basin instead of Congressional districts. This would give rural areas of Oregon disproportionate representation on the Commission and diminish the perspectives of Oregonians who do not hunt, fish, or trap, but who still value and care about Oregon's fish and wildlife and how they are treated.
For more information on these bills, and to get the most current information on their status, including whether a final vote has already taken place, click the link in the bill number above.
Thank you for helping us advocate for animals!
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