Illinois HB 1080 committee hearing, March 1

8 responses to “Illinois HB 1080 committee hearing, March 1”

1. Adam Daugherty | February 26, 2011 at 3:09 pm |

   I hope as a citizen of this state for 25 years that this bill don’t pass. Too many of us work too hard to just let someone tell us “you can’t have that dog because its a pitbull”. People that own such dogs as this bill targets will all agree that responsible owners of these such breeds should not be punished due to irresponsible owners!!! If this bill is passed and we are told that we can’t own our family pets ( family members) than I have lost all respect for our system which expresses our right as free citizens in what is supposed to be a free country.

2. Nik Kajmakoski | February 26, 2011 at 10:37 pm |

   This is un-american, and no better than racism.

3. Theresa H | February 27, 2011 at 3:38 pm |

   BAN ILLINOIS IF THEY BAN PIT BULLS!
   I don’t live there but this is the most ridiculous thing i have ever heard. banning a specific breed that people know little of. They are the most misunderstood breed and are the victims Not the culprit. Its bad owners that make a bad dog. I have two pit bulls and they are the most LOVING affectionate dogs I’ve ever had, and i would not get rid of them because someone with little intelligence told me to. Unfortunately, incidents such as dog fighting tarnish the reputations of what can be friendly, stable calm pets. People automatically hear the name and say they are bad dogs, they are So wrong. If this passes i will NEVER pay a visit to this state for any reason. If they start telling us what animals we can and cant have, whats next?!

4. brian patterson | March 1, 2011 at 10:27 am |

   Dear Committee Members,

   I am writing you to encourage you to vote in line with a moral responsibility we all have to protect animals from those who would look to harm them more than they already have been: Pit Bull terriers and mixes, Rottweillers, and other strong dogs have been abused, neglected and exploited first by criminals and then by media outlets looking for easy fear mongering headlines. Please do not allow our 4 legged friends/family members to become victims a third time, by Breed Specific Legislation.

   BSL is equal to racial profiling, and is just another injustice to be levied against breeds that have already suffered the most at the hands of criminals. The answer is to foster a culture of accountability, not ban an entire race/ breed of animal.

   We rescued 3 pit bulls, 2 from Kansas City where a breed ban was to determine the certain death of our young dogs. We rescued them both just in time thru the help of a rescue organization. The gifts they have given us have been immeasurable. As a very sensitive dog having endured much horror from his very entry into the world, our Mongo taught us to speak in softer voices, and with more kindness to each other, as raising our voices made him anxious. We lost our him recently to autoimmune disease and the loss we feel is excruciating.But with the love we get from them, comes responsibility to train them, house them properly, discipline them properly, feed them properly. . .

   When children are neglected abused, or exploited, we call Child Protective Services and charges are brought against the offenders. When animals are neglected or exploited the same response to protect them should be enforced, the answer is not to punish them even further.

   The solution to widespread problems with certain breeds is education about the breed, and enforcement of existing laws to address criminal behavior before it can affect any life, human or canine.

   Breed specific ordinances are quick fixes and not a sufficient long term solution for the following reasons:
   1. Dog problems are generally problems with owner responsibility and are not limited to breeds. When breeds are singled out as dangerous or vicious, responsibility is removed from the dog owner which is where it belongs. Irresponsible people are also less likely to follow the law – and as a result, everyone has to suffer.
   2. By limiting the ability of citizens to own certain breeds, responsible law abiding citizens will shy away from those breeds. These are the types of owners that communities need to encourage, not drive away.
   3. Communities that have instituted such bans often find that the irresponsible owners and the criminals who use dogs for illegal purposes simply switch to another breed.
   4. Breeds and mixes are hard to identify and often dogs are mis labeled and destroyed based on paranioa and prejudice and also punishes those that are good canine citizens. Many breeds function as assistance dogs for handicapped owners, search and rescue dogs, drug-sniffing dogs, police dogs, etc. and drives them out of the community.
   The American Veterinary Medical Association and several state veterinary medical associations oppose breed-specific legislation for just this reason.
   5. The dog most restricted is the “pit bull.” A pit bull is a type of dog, not a recognized breed. See the breed information page for more detail.
   6. Passage of laws that are only enforced through complaints cause two problems: 1) they create disrespect for the law if authorities require compliance only upon complaint, and 2) they provide ammunition for neighborhood feuds.

   Suggested alternatives to breed bans include:
   1. Stronger enforcement of existing dangerous dog laws. If they are not already in place, lobby for protection from untrained and unsupervised dogs of any breed or mix. This is a broad-based effort that protects all citizens as any dog can bite and be a nuisance when owned by an irresponsible owner. Those who would deliberately train a dog to act aggressively towards people or other animals, or to use dogs in the commission of a felony or misdemeanor should face additional penalties.
   2. Encourage local animal rescue and welfare agencies to provide responsible dog ownership seminars and canine safety education. The American Kennel Club has a free education program created for elementary school children.
   3. Protect the rights of all citizens with nuisance ordinances such as anti-barking, pooper scooper regulations and leash laws

   It is my hope that our state of wise residents and officials can see thru this misguided solution to a very real problem. We all want safer neighborhoods and better lives. But lets have a real dialogue to work toward the answer that will provide that for us all: Public Safety, Good Police work, proper force protection/resources to address criminal behavior. Its the answer to anti-terrorism, domestic violence, child abuse, gang and drug activity, and yes, dog aggression. Its simple: Find the criminals, reduce crime.

   Thank you for your time,
   brian patterson

5. Jackie Untiedt | March 2, 2011 at 1:22 pm |

   I have been scouring the internet trying to find an update. Does anyone know the results from when this proposal was brought to the Dept of Agr. yesterday afternoon (3/1)??? I can’t find anything. Even when you go to see the bill status at the general assembly website it shows no changes. ??
   http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=1080&GAID=11&GA=97&DocTypeID=HB&LegID=56892&SessionID=84
   Any info would be GREATLY appreciated! Thank You

   • stopbslcom | March 2, 2011 at 2:47 pm |

     Jackie, many bills will go through multiple hearings (number of hearings varies according to several factors). The bill’s status will not update if it is still sitting in committee waiting for another hearing. We have to watch the committee hearing schedules to see if it is scheduled for another hearing.

     After the bill has had some number of hearings, the committee that heard the bill may do several things: 1) vote to approve the bill; 2) vote to kill the bill; or 3) do nothing. In case 1 and 2, the bill status will update to reflect the vote. In case 1, the bill status will also show where the bill is headed next, such as another committee or to the floor of the House. In case 3, if the committee does nothing, the bill status won’t be updated and the bill will die quietly. Be aware, however, that committees are not required to make immediate decisions on a bill. Many low-priority bills (including this one) will sit for weeks or even months in committee without any movement.

     It is sometimes possible to contact a committee member or the bill sponsor to find out what’s happening with a bill. With so many bills to deal with, however, the legislator(s) may not return your information request in an expedient manner.

     This also highlights the importance of attending committee hearings to provide opposition to a bill. Committee hearings aren’t particularly exciting to attend, but they do represent a critical decision point where a bill is vulnerable and likely to die if public opposition is strong enough.

6. Herb Whitlock | March 8, 2011 at 7:37 pm |

   I am Herb Whitlock who spent 21 years in prison for a crime the government knew I did not comit based on known use of perjury. This Illinois disgrace was, AND STILL IS covered up because it is TOO POLITICALLY SENSITIVE.” 25 years after the Rhoads murders in Paris, Il the political corruption still covers up these murderers culprits — and now these hypocrites want to tell citizens what kind of dogs they can have or cant have . What an utter disgrace these Illinois politicians are! People need awake to the reality in Illinois political corruption trumps everything. Stand up now and fight specific breed dog law ban legislation. Herb Whitlock herb_whitlock@yahoo.com see also ”
   too Politically Sensitive” website

7. Zach | March 9, 2011 at 4:17 pm |

   wow what else will the government take away from us? pretty soon the united states will not be so united anymore because our freedoms and liberties are bein demolished one right at a time. To ban a certain breed of dog based only on the outcome of what these animals are taught or bred to do in the hands of IGNORANT people is unethical. If they base dogs on such obscurities why not base people on the same scale? Lets send all the stupid people in this country to be euthanized one by one because of their race, actions, and faults. So is it the dogs fault they were raised in hostile enviornments or for pure entertainment purposes? The answer is NO, they have no control over their lives just as we do not either. I guarantee if you raise a yorkie the same as stupid owners raise their dogs that you say create this mayhem, then you will find out that if you push any animal big or small over the edge then they will attack or hurt someone to protect themselves just as im sure any human would do its simple animal characteristics people it has not changed since the beginning of time why would it change now? Man is the problem here not any animal. So hopefully the Nazi goverment we trust for what reason i do not know will not buy into this idiotic racism and genocide. As a pitbull owner i can safely say that my dog will not hurt another soul and will not be given up even if this persists I stand tall for what i believe in and i do not believe in this nonsense. Stand up for what you believe in and what is just and do the right thing and ban this political waste of man hours and paperwork aren’t their way more important things to worry about like poverty, homeless, starving, diseases and much much more wakr up and do your damn job.