On July 31, the last day of formal sessions, Massachusetts lawmakers were unable to resolve differences between the two branches on major legislative proposals by early Thursday morning. Two dog-related bills detailed in the American Kennel Club’s recent update did not cross the finish line either.
The Legislature will meet in informal sessions through December 31, so there will be opportunities to pass more bills. But, if just one lawmaker objects to a bill advancing – it fails. Below is the current status on two bills of interest to AKC:
TO INCREASE KENNEL SAFETY, AKA “OLLIE’S LAW” – H.4919 is NOW S.2929:
Last week, the House of Representatives voted to pass an amended Ollie’s Law as H.4919. Consistent with the favorable joint committee bill released in April noted in AKC’s update, it would require cities and towns to issue every type of kennel license defined in current law and those maintaining a kennel to obtain a license. The Department of Agricultural Resources would adopt detailed operational and safety regulations for commercial boarding and training kennels with assistance from an appointed advisory committee, now charged with completing the task by December 31, 2026.
The bill also requires commercial boarding and training kennels to report injuries to people or animals to the licensing authority for the department or licensing authority to investigate. Enforcement actions would be taken by the licensing authority or the department when a municipality is without an inspector. When investigations result in enforcement actions, the department would make those reports publicly available.
Late on July 31, the Senate struck the text of H.4919 and substituted new text as S.2929. In addition to clarifying text, S. 2929 removes the department’s responsibility for ordering a suspension or revocation of a commercial boarding or training kennel license upon investigation, if a town is without an inspector. Instead, the enforcement actions would be the responsibility of the town’s mayor, selectboard or police. S.2929 passed the Senate and was sent to the House. The House sent S. 2929 to the House Committee on Bills in Third Reading where any further action is uncertain.
COMMISSION TO STUDY MISREPRESENTATION OF SERVICE ANIMAL – H.4917
Last week, the House of Representatives passed H.4917. The Senate did not advance the proposal this week. Because this bill is not controversial, it could advance during an informal session before the end of the year.
AKC Government Relations (GR) will continue to provide updates on these bills and other Massachusetts legislation as developments warrant. For more information on this or other legislative issues in Massachusetts, contact AKC GR at 919-816-3720 or doglaw@akc.org; or the Massachusetts Federation of Dog Clubs and Responsible Dog Owners at info@massfeddogs.org.