California Aviculturist Legislative Alert
(1999)
BY LAURELLA DESBOROUGH
Copyright Laurella Desbrough (eclectusbreeder.com).
All rights reserved by the author.
This year
marks the
beginning of
a two-year
legislative
session.
Many new
bills are
being
introduced
into the
California
Assembly and
Senate. At
least one of
these
current
bills will
have an
impact on
aviculturists
and,
therefore,
will be
closely
monitored
during its
passage
through the
legislative
process. An
avicultural
legislative
team is
monitoring
California
legislation
and will
notify bird
owners of
pending
legislation
through the
AFA
networks,
the club
networks,
cooperating
pet stores
and the
Internet.
This team,
the
California
Aviculturists
Legislative
Association
(CALA), is
composed of
eight
long-term
legislative
activists
who are
committed to
the
interests of
aviculture.
Watch for
further
information
on CALA and
watch for
their
legislative
website ( is
this
upcoming?)
where
ongoing
legislative
information
will be
displayed.
Nationwide
Legislative
Proposals
As this
century
winds down,
watch for
more
regulations
from the
animal
rights
organizations
that propose
to end
cruelty to
animals and
to protect
animals from
abuse.
(Abuse and
cruelty are
hot-button
issues for
most people
and will
cause
individuals
to offer
financial
support and
legislative
support.)
Whereas we
can all
support the
goal of
ending abuse
to animals,
the means
whereby this
is
accomplished
is not
through
legislation,
but
education.
Legislation
may punish,
but it does
not
rehabilitate.
Education
can change
the way
people
understand
themselves
and their
animals, and
thus, can be
a positive
force for
better
animal care.
If we look
at the
bottom line
on much of
the
legislation
proposed by
the animal
rights
organizations,
we see that
the main
goal is to
gain more
legislative
control over
animals.
This is
accomplished
through
placing more
power in the
hands of
local and
state
officials,
as well as
in the hands
of animal
control
officers or
humane
society
officers.
Therefore,
animal
owners in
all states
would be
well advised
to
cooperate,
organize and
keep a
watchful eye
on
regulatory
proposals
from local
ordinances
to state
laws.
Constant
vigilance is
needed.
