A trio of bills that would have bolstered Hawaii’s animal cruelty laws are dead.
A trio of bills that would have bolstered Hawaii’s animal cruelty laws are dead.
Senate Bills 2263, 2273 and 2270, introduced by state Sen. Russell Ruderman, never received a hearing. Friday was the deadline for bills to be submitted for a third reading before crossing over next week to the other chamber.
“Of course we’re disappointed,” Ruderman said Friday. “(The bills) didn’t get any discussion at all. I thought at least the canine meat one would get a hearing … I thought it would have moved a little, I don’t see why not. So, I’m disappointed.”
Ruderman, a Democrat who represents Puna, introduced the bills upon request from his friend, Jane Wiedlin, who is a member of the popular 1980s rock band The Go-Go’s. Wiedlin previously said she’s a lifelong animal lover who fosters with a local rescue group. She moved to the Big Island last summer and wanted to address what she thought to be various animal cruelty issues in the state, such as dog meat consumption.
One of the bills would have prohibited slaughtering or raising dogs for human consumption, and amended the definition of “pet animal” to include all dogs, rather than dogs specifically “not bred for consumption.” Another would have required completion of a training course in order to become an animal control officer, and the third outlined various guidelines related to dog ownership, such as kennel and tethering restrictions.
“Most people have not ever thought about just how awful it is to be put on a heavy, short chain in the sun or in the rain and attacked by fire ants,” Wiedlin previously said. “I think we need to change our mindset about dogs in particular. They’re not objects, we own them, they are ohana and … I think at the very least, each dog should live in a well-fenced yard and out of the elements.”
Efforts to reach Wiedlin for comment Friday were unsuccessful.
Ruderman said he thinks bills brought about “a general discussion” of how animals are treated in the state. He said he plans to team up with Wiedlin and other animal rights activists to try again in the 2017 legislative session.
“We’re going to keep the push on, and we’ll be back next year with some animal bills — whether the same or different — and we’ll keep the pressure on and keep discussing this,” he said.
Lawmakers are considering several other animal cruelty proposals that are still alive, including a bill which would increase penalties for animal desertion and a bill to prohibit certain types of dog restraints.
Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.