JEFFERSON CITY • With barely a whimper of dissent, the Missouri Senate moved Tuesday to roll back Proposition B, the dog-breeding law approved by state voters just four months ago.
The bill, which needs another vote to move to the House, would wipe out rules limiting an operator to no more than 50 breeding dogs and requiring ground-level cages with "unfettered access" to the outdoors.
The sponsor, Sen. Mike Parson, said that without the changes, the voter-approved measure would put all 1,400 licensed commercial breeders in Missouri out of business and financially ruin people who have borrowed money to invest in their facilities.
Proposition B's backers blasted the move, saying the Senate bill guts all key elements of the new law before it even has a chance to take effect, which is slated to happen in November.
The bill "confines dogs in tiny cages, allows cages to be stacked one on top of the other, removes the exercise provision, significantly weakens the veterinary care provision, and the dogs are going to be exposed to extreme temperatures again," said Barbara Schmitz, Missouri state director of the Humane Society of the United States.
The Humane Society, which spent more than $2 million on last fall's campaign, plans a news conference in the Capitol today to release a report spotlighting problem kennels.
The Senate vote followed a surprisingly short debate, given the strong emotions that surrounded the issue in last year's campaign.
The only attempt opponents made to amend the bill would have put Parson's plan to a statewide vote. That idea failed on a voice vote.
Parson, R-Bolivar, portrayed his bill as an alternative that would do more than Prop B would to weed out unlicensed breeders.
Depending on the number of dogs sold, breeders would pay annual fees ranging up to $2,500 instead of the current maximum of $500. They'd also fork over $25 a year to generate money for additional state inspectors.
Parson's allies included Sen. Kevin Engler, R-Farmington, who has a cozy dog bed in his Capitol office for his English bulldog, Winston. Engler praised Parson's provision requiring breeders to have an exercise plan for each dog, approved by a veterinarian.
"It sounds like you're putting more hoops that they have to go through," Engler said, adding that Winston gave the bill a "two paws up."
Instead of requiring a hands-on annual exam for each dog, the bill would require two "visual inspections" annually by a vet, with follow-up exams for dogs that appear injured or sick.
No longer would violations be subject to prosecution for the misdemeanor crime of "puppy mill cruelty." Instead, courts could assess civil fines or prosecutors could file misdemeanor charges of "canine cruelty" against repeat offenders.
Parson contended that the initiative petition used the term "puppy mill" for emotional reasons. He renamed his proposed law the Canine Cruelty Prevention Act.
The bill is SB113.
