Missouri Senate pushes a bill forward to change Proposition B

ALERT – For the rest of this post, go to the new Pack Mentality website.

The story posted on the St. Louis Business Journal website reports the Missouri Senate gave a preliminary thumbs up Tuesday to a new bill that could make drastic changes to the anti-puppy mill measure known as Proposition B.

If the bill gets past the State House and the governor’s signature, it would eliminate the 50-dog limit for breeders and decriminalizes the violations voted into law last November by voters.

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PM News Pack: dog fighting bust, the AKC and letters on Prop B

Links galore tonight as we look at articles and editorials from an arrest of 24 suspects in a dog-fighting ring to thoughts on the American Kennel Club to two letters supporting Missouri’s Proposition B anti-puppy mill measure.

First, let’s go to the two letters to the editor that appeared on the Kansas City Star website. These letters relate to an effort in the Missouri legislature to overturn Prop B, which passed by a vote of the people.

The first letter-writer wonders if some those wishing to overturn the measure might “operate their own puppy mills.” And she adds – “Why were we even given the opportunity to vote if our opinion means nothing?”

Great letter to the editor in Missouri

Bob Groh of Blue Springs, Mo. submitted a great letter to the editor, which was published Saturday on the Examiner.net website.

Groh responds to a previous editorial suggesting the “voters were duped” into voting for Proposition B in Missouri. He notes he looked the pros and cons of the measure, which sets better standards for dog breeding and goes after puppy mill operations.

The plot thickens in Missouri, where a State House representative has ties to a dog-breeding business

This story is very interesting and is representative of how far our political landscape has degraded.

The St Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting Rep. Jason Smith – the majority whip in the Missouri House – is leading the attack against the anti-puppy mill measure Proposition B, which was approved by the state’s voters in November.

Smith has been arguing against Prop B in the House Agriculture Committee – and f0r major changes to it. Trouble is, he is not a member of the committee. But since he is the Majority Whip, he can participate as an “ex officio member.”

Writer makes a clear point against those trying to repeal Missouri’s Prop B

Martin Matheny makes a great point in the lead to his Feb. 17 column on Change.org. He suggests the puppy mill industry is “the only industry Missouri legislators care about these days.”

I like the headline too – “” Missouri Legislators Determined to Keep Puppy Mills in Business. “”

On Tuesday, the Missouri House Agriculture Policy Committee voted unanimously to send forward House Bill 131, which will gut Proposition B.

Matheny goes on to say the bill “will strip the requirements for clean water, room to move around in cages, and time to rest between breeding cycles out of Proposition B. In essence, it makes Prop B a do-nothing law. It’ll still be on the books, but with no real requirements for breeders. And, it’ll be back to business as usual for the puppy mill owners.”

Update: Missouri State House and Senate committees send bills forward to repeal Prop B

A Missouri State House committee advanced a bill forward Wednesday to repeal key provisions of Proposition B, the measure voters passed in November to regulate puppy mills.

A Senate panel has also moved a bill forward with modifications to the law, according to ConnectMidMissouri.com.

In the puppy mill debate, even a few veterinarians don’t get it

Last week a veterinarian wrote an editorial that appeared in the Joplin Globe.

She writes about Proposition B in Missouri, which sets reasonable guidelines for breeders, such as cage sizes, minimum veterinary care, access to exercise outside and limits the number of breeding dogs each breeder can house.

Good rundown of editorials supporting Prop B in Missouri

Michael Markarian, the COO of the Humane Society of United States, wrote an editorial that appeared on HuffingtonPost.com Wednesday. In the piece, Markarian makes the case against repealing or gutting Missouri’s Proposition B, which some elected officials in the state are on a mission to do.

He also offers up some excerpts from editorials, from key individuals who are barking back against those who want to protect puppy millers and/or subvert the vote and the will of the voters in Missouri.

Another letter to the editor in Missouri spreads the same misinformation

Once again, someone writing to promote repeal of Prop B in Missouri is using the same tired line that the measure will only impact licensed breeders.

And the writer of the letter posted on News-Leader.com tries to claim it will be “impossible” for Missouri breeders to obey the regulations and make a profit. We all know the really good breeders already meet or exceed the breeding provisions in Prop B.

Another commentary on Missouri’s Prop B – with the same, tired misinformation

This time, we have a state representative in Missouri who doesn’t seem to be able to comprehend what he reads – or maybe what he doesn’t read. Or maybe it’s something else.

In his commentary posted on the Missourian website, Chris Kelly states –

“” Prop B, as passed by the voters, applies only to licensed breeders. “”