Advocacy Updates

October 2023

Legislative Spotlight: Hearing on November 8

On November 8, the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources will hear many animal protection bills.

Please ask your legislators to SUPPORT:

S. 550/H. 826/S. 549: An Act banning the retail sale of cats and dogs in pet shops
S. 533: An Act to provide additional funding for animal welfare and safety programming
S. 1424 and H. 850: An Act promoting humane cosmetics and other household products by limiting the use of animal testing

S. 590 and H. 849: An Act prohibiting the sale of fur products

S. 519: An Act relative to ivory and rhinoceros horn trafficking

View our hearing toolkit for more information!

Did you see our new Facebook group? Keep up to date with the Advocacy team and animal protection legislation by joining the MSPCA Animal Action Team Facebook group!

Bill Moves During Domestic Violence Awareness Month

With their stamp of approval, the Joint Committee on Judiciary advanced H. 4155 – An Act to Prevent Abuse and Exploitation, which is now being reviewed in the House Ways and Means Committee. This legislation adds “coercive control” to the definition of abuse in the state law governing abusive acts between family or household members. “Coercive control,” which is the intent to substantially restrict an individual’s safety or free will through threat, intimidation, harassment, isolation, control, or forced compliance, would include committing or threatening to commit cruelty or abuse to family pets. This would mark another legislative advancement to address the link between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence. Visit our webpage to access resources and learn more about this link.

Join Us in November

Animal Advocacy Training at NEWC

Join us at the New England Wildlife Center (NEWC) on November 6 at 5:30pm to learn how to help advance important bills pending at the State House on a variety of animal issues.

At this training, we will be joined by staff from NEWC who will talk about legislation that is pending to address the problems with the use of rodenticides, and how it impacts our local wildlife.

Let us know you are coming!

Wildlife Talk in Western Mass.

Interested in learning about wildlife? Join us in Cummington, Mass. on November 16 at 6pm to

learn about Coexisting Humanely with Wildlife. We will talk about how to avoid negative encounters with wildlife; provide information about our programmatic resources, wh

ich include bear-proofing funding and beaver conflict resolution support; debunk some common wildlife myths; and highlight some of our wild

life-related advocacy.

Let us know you are coming! 

Help Keep Our Trapping Laws Intact

Leghold traps are inhumane and indiscriminate devices. These traps can catch any animal, wild or domestic, who walks or swims into them, causing intense suffering and death.

A number of bills are filed each legislative session that would remove or weaken current restrictions on cruel body-gripping leghold (sometimes called foothold) and Conibear traps that have been used to capture fur-bearing animals. We need our current trapping laws to stay in place.

Please ask your legislators to oppose S. 492, H. 799, H. 911 to keep our current trapping laws intact.

This fox suffered severe tissue damage, with blood flow not returning to the foot, when he was caught in a leghold trap in Lexington. Learn more about his story on Newhouse Wildlife Rescue’s Facebook page.

Keep your pets safe this Halloween! Pet owners should ensure that their four-legged family members are kept inside, safe and happy. Check out safety tips.

Bills on the Move!

Rodenticide Bill Moves to House:

The rodenticide bill (H. 825) filed by Rep. Hawkins and Sen. Feeney was reported favorably from the Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources and is now being reviewed in the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Declaw Bill Released Favorably:

S. 190, the bill that bans the declawing of cats in Massachusetts, was released favorably from the Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure and referred to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.

Bill Helping Prevent Animal Abuse Moves Out of Committee:

With their stamp of approval, the Committee on the Judiciary advanced H. 4155, An Act to Prevent Abuse and Exploitation, which is now being reviewed in the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Better CARES Act Before Congress

The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) is the federal law in place to protect animals used in certain ways (research, exhibition, for example). However, the AWA is weak, and violators get away with neglect and cruelty. The Better Collaboration, Accountability, and Regulatory Enforcement (CARE) for Animals Act will give Department of Justice (DOJ) the tools to better enforce the AWA and step in earlier at facilities with documented violations of the AWA. This will result in reducing the suffering animals. For example, the DOJ was able to stop animal cruelty at the Envigo dog breeding facility (where 4,000 beagles were then placed in homes after the research facility closed). This bill would expand DOJ’s ability to help in more situations by providing them with additional enforcement tools.

Ask your congressional legislators to support!