Schedule for the Day
The hearing is on Thursday, September 26, 2019. It starts at 1 pm in Room A-1 at the State House in Boston; please plan to allow for traffic and parking, and to sign in to testify. If you’re early, there’s a coffee shop on the 4th floor and you can also tour the State House. The hearing will end when everyone who signed in has had a chance to speak.
How to Get to the State House
For those of you not familiar with downtown Boston, you might want to review these driving and public transportation directions to the State House. The cheapest parking is underneath the Boston Common, which then requires walking several blocks up the hill to the State House.
What to Wear
Business attire is appropriate for the State House, though you don’t have to go out and buy a new suit for the hearing – just dress neatly and professionally.
What to Expect
Hearings generally start with testimony from legislators – likely the bill sponsor/co-sponsors (they will be taken out of turn during the hearing, too). Names will then be called from the sign-in sheet – sometimes in order, sometimes by bill (about 20 bills are likely to be on the agenda for this hearing), sometimes back/forth based on support/opposition to the legislation.
Tips for Testimony (oral and written)
There will be a place to sign in when you get to the hearing room. When testifying, it’s usually best to tell your story – why these bills matters to you and how it affects the animals you care about. (If you lost your insurance because of your dog’s breed, if your landlord won’t allow particular breeds due to insurance restrictions, if you’ve surrendered a dog to a shelter because of insurance).
It is good to try not to repeat in detail what other speakers have said, to be brief (each person will have about 3 minutes to testify), and to not read from your written testimony. You will be able to testify to all three bills at the same time (so will only need to get up once). Committee members may ask you a question during or after your testimony; if you don’t know the answer to a question, it’s fine to say so and then follow-up after the hearing with the answer and any supporting documentation (we can help with this).
Testimony can be submitted at the hearing (or emailed, see below). If you bring copies to the hearing, please bring 17 copies — one for each member. If you cannot make the hearing, you can still submit testimony (or have someone bring it to the hearing for you). Committees will accept testimony sent electronically. For this Committee, email it to both: cara.libman@masenate.gov
and adam.horgan@mahouse.gov
Who Will You Be Talking To?
The Financial Services committee members are online; check the list to see if your legislator(s) are on the Committee (look for Rep and Senator in General Court on www.wheredoivotema.com if you do not know who your legislators are) so you can say hello to them and let them know you will be attending and these bills are important to you. You can learn more about legislators’ positions on animal bills via www.animalscorecard.com.
Legislators on the Committee who have co-sponsored these bills:
S. 595, H. 1037: Senators Welch, Moore, and DiZoglio; Reps. Barber, Ayers, Stanley, Velis, Ciccolo and Haggerty.
H. 1038: Senators Moore and DiZoglio; Reps. Barber, Stanley, Velis and Ciccolo.
What More Can You Do to Prepare?
Do your homework – see the texts of the bills online (visit www.malegislature.gov) and read the fact sheets (linked below).
S. 595, H. 1037: AN ACT CONCERNING THE USE OF CERTAIN INSURANCE UNDERWRITING GUIDELINES PERTAINING TO DOGS HARBORED UPON THE INSURED PROPERTY
These bills would prevent insurance companies from refusing to ensure or cancel homeowners insurance policies based on type of dog on the property. Read the fact sheet.
H. 1038: AN ACT TO PROHIBIT HOUSING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST RESPONSIBLE DOG OWNERS
This bill would ensure housing providers will no longer be permitted to arbitrarily restrict responsible owners from keeping their pet based on its size, weight, or perceived breed. Read the fact sheet.
Contact us with any questions at Advocacy@mspca.org.
Quick Updates
If we get new information, we’ll post it online. If you don’t do so already, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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Questions
If you have questions, email advocacy@mspca.org.
