House Passes Pet Evacuation Bill

Pits in the news and info on Breed Specific Legislation.

Postby Purple » May 24th, 2006, 6:58 am

House Passes Pet Evacuation Bill
Agencies Would Need To Consider Pets To Get Disaster Funding
WASHINGTON, May 22, 2006

"When asked to choose between abandoning their pets or their personal safety, many pet owners chose to risk their lives."

Rep. Christopher Shays


(AP) A television shot of a little boy losing his dog during rescue operations after Hurricane Katrina was the catalyst for House passage Monday of legislation to require pets to be considered in future emergency preparedness plans.

"The dog was taken away from this little boy, and to watch his face was a singularly revealing and tragic experience," said Rep. Tom Lantos of California, sponsor of the Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act. "This legislation was born at that moment."

The bill, which passed 349-24, requires that state and local preparedness offices take into account pet owners, household pets and service animals when drawing up evacuation plans. Offices that fail to do so would not qualify for grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Rep. Christopher Shays, with Lantos a co-chair of the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus, said estimates are that some 600,000 animals either died or were left without shelter as a result of Hurricane Katrina. He added that the lack of pet rescue plans also put many pet owners in danger.

"When asked to choose between abandoning their pets or their personal safety, many pet owners chose to risk their lives," he said.

The Humane Society of the United States cited a recent Zogby International poll that found that 49 percent of adults say they would refuse to evacuate if they couldn't take their pets with them.

Passage of the bill, said Humane Society president Wayne Pacelle, would ensure "that Americans will never again be forced to leave their best friends behind to face imminent danger."

In the Senate, Sens. Ted Stevens and Frank Lautenberg have introduced similar legislation, which would also give the FEMA director authority to grant funds to state and local agencies for animal preparedness projects, including the building of emergency shelters.


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/ ... 4260.shtml
User avatar
Purple
I live here
 
Posts: 5115

Postby SisMorphine » May 24th, 2006, 7:44 am

Finally!
"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France
SisMorphine
They're like service dogs gone wrong.
 
Posts: 9233
Location: PR

Postby muse » May 24th, 2006, 10:19 am

:mrHappy:

Fantastic!!
The dissenter is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns momentarily from the herd and thinks for himself.
User avatar
muse
Confident Young Bully
 
Posts: 544
Location: Maryland

Postby cheekymunkee » May 24th, 2006, 11:11 am

Way to go!!!!
There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.

Debby
User avatar
cheekymunkee
I Have Your Grass
 
Posts: 28540
Location: Dallas

Postby Jenn » May 24th, 2006, 11:41 am

That's great :)
I used to think I was indecisive, but now I'm not so sure....
User avatar
Jenn
undecided
 
Posts: 11382
Location: TX

Postby Fear_the_Sheeple » May 24th, 2006, 12:27 pm

Thank Goodness!
User avatar
Fear_the_Sheeple
Enlightened Bully
 
Posts: 1558
Location: FL


Return to Pit Bull news and BSL

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users

cron