Full Text of SJR0056 96th General Assembly
SJ0056 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, Dogs are not a commercial crop and should not be | 3 |
| indiscriminately or irresponsibly mass produced; and
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| WHEREAS, Illinois citizens have the right to purchase | 5 |
| quality purebred dogs, produced in loving homes by responsible | 6 |
| breeders; and | 7 |
| WHEREAS, Poorly or improperly run breeding facilities | 8 |
| increase the likelihood that the dogs contained therein will be | 9 |
| denied their most basic needs, including, but not limited to, | 10 |
| sanitary living conditions, proper and timely medical care, the | 11 |
| ability to move freely at least once per day, and adequate | 12 |
| shelter from the elements; and
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| WHEREAS, Illinois is committed to preventing dogs from | 14 |
| being housed in breeding facilities or pet stores that are | 15 |
| overcrowded, unsanitary, and lacking proper shelter and care; | 16 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, Current Illinois laws are insufficient regarding | 18 |
| the care and husbandry of dogs in breeding facilities; and | 19 |
| WHEREAS, Without proper oversight, breeding facilities can | 20 |
| easily fall below even the most basic standards of humane |
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| housing and husbandry; and | 2 |
| WHEREAS, Breeding facilities with unsanitary conditions | 3 |
| create the potential for soil and groundwater contamination, | 4 |
| the spread of zoonotic parasites and infectious diseases, and | 5 |
| the sale of sick and dying animals to the public; and
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| WHEREAS, An unfair fiscal burden is placed on city, county, | 7 |
| and state taxpayers, as well as government agencies, animal | 8 |
| shelters, and rescue groups, by having to care for discarded or | 9 |
| abused and neglected dogs from these breeding facilities; and | 10 |
| WHEREAS, Animal shelters and rescue groups are dedicated to | 11 |
| caring for and finding homes for stray and unwanted animals and | 12 |
| irresponsible breeders and pet stores are adding to the burden | 13 |
| placed on these non-profit rescue groups; and | 14 |
| WHEREAS, Consumers must be provided with adequate | 15 |
| information about the background of puppies prior to purchase | 16 |
| in order to make an informed decision and current Illinois law | 17 |
| is ineffective in providing this information to consumers who | 18 |
| purchase puppies from pet stores and breeding facilities; and
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| WHEREAS, There is public support for addressing the | 20 |
| breeding industry and pet store industry in this State; | 21 |
| therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL | 2 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | 3 |
| CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is established a Joint Task Force | 4 |
| on Breeders and Pet Stores to investigate and make | 5 |
| recommendations on ways to strengthen Illinois law regarding | 6 |
| these 2 industries; issues that shall be examined include, but | 7 |
| are not limited to the following: (1) humane care and treatment | 8 |
| for dogs at pet stores and breeding facilities, (2) creating | 9 |
| more specific requirements for indoor and outdoor kennel | 10 |
| facilities to ensure the health and welfare of dogs used for | 11 |
| commercial purposes, (3) establishing more detailed | 12 |
| specifications so that indoor and outdoor facilities provide | 13 |
| dogs with proper shelter, temperature control, ventilation, | 14 |
| air movement, lighting, bedding, sanitation, slope of ground | 15 |
| and run, and flooring materials, (4) creating more detailed | 16 |
| record keeping requirements for breeders and pet stores, (5) | 17 |
| ensuring that consumers are provided adequate information | 18 |
| prior to the time of sale of dogs, (6) ensuring that dogs being | 19 |
| sold are healthy, and (7) amending animal welfare laws to | 20 |
| address these specific issues as well as related yet broader | 21 |
| issues that could be addressed through such laws; and be it | 22 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That the members of the Joint Task Force shall | 24 |
| include: one member appointed by the President of the Senate; |
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| one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; one | 2 |
| member appointed by the Speaker of the House; one member | 3 |
| appointed by the Minority Leader of the House; the Director of | 4 |
| Agriculture or his or her designee, who shall serve as the | 5 |
| Chairperson; the Director of Agriculture shall appoint 5 | 6 |
| members to represent the animal welfare community, including 2 | 7 |
| members from national organizations and 3 members representing | 8 |
| the shelter community and animal rescue community; the Director | 9 |
| of Agriculture shall also appoint one member representing the | 10 |
| small scale breeding community, one member representing the | 11 |
| sporting dog community, one member representing the large scale | 12 |
| breeding community, one member representing the pet store | 13 |
| industry, and one member representing the Illinois | 14 |
| Veterinarians; and be it further | 15 |
| RESOLVED, That that the Department of Agriculture shall | 16 |
| provide administrative and other support to the Joint Task | 17 |
| Force and meet at the call of the chairperson; and be it | 18 |
| further | 19 |
| RESOLVED, That the Director of Agriculture or his or her | 20 |
| designee shall serve as the Chairperson; the Joint Task Force | 21 |
| shall have a minimum of 3 meetings; and the members shall serve | 22 |
| without compensation; and be it further | 23 |
| RESOLVED, That the Joint Task Force shall report its |
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| findings and legislative recommendations to the Secretary of | 2 |
| the Senate and the Clerk of the House by October 1, 2009; and | 3 |
| that upon filing its report the Joint Task Force is dissolved; | 4 |
| and be it further | 5 |
| RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be delivered to | 6 |
| the Director of the Department of Agriculture.
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