Ohio: HB 79 has moved to committee
March 23, 2009 16 Comments
Edit 4/9: This bill will be heard by the Agriculture Committee on April 14, 2010, at 9:30 AM. Please attend the hearing to show your support for this bill.
Edit 3/25/09: A tentative hearing date of April 29, 2009 has been set. Ohio residents who wish to show their support for this bill, please prepare to attend the hearing. Please watch the site for possible schedule changes as we near the hearing date.
Ohio HB 79, which would remove the longstanding BSL from state law, has moved to the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.
This bill needs all the support it can get. Please contact the committee members and urge them to approve this bill.
Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee Members
John Domenick
Phone: (614) 466-3735
Fax: (614) 719-6995
Email: district95@ohr.state.oh.us
Alan Sayre
Phone: (614) 466-8035
Fax: (614) 719-6996
Email: district96@ohr.state.oh.us
Linda Bolon
Phone: (614) 466-8022
Fax: (614) 719-6971
Email: district01@ohr.state.oh.us
Dan Dodd
Phone: (614) 466-2500
Fax: (614) 719-6991
Email: district91@ohr.state.oh.us
Jennifer Garrison
Phone: (614) 644-8728
Fax: (614) 719-6993
Email: district93@ohr.state.oh.us
Dennis Murray
Phone: (614) 644-6011
Fax: (614) 719-6980
Email: district80@ohr.state.oh.us
Deborah Newcomb
Phone: (614) 466-1405
Fax: (614) 719-6999
Email: district99@ohr.state.oh.us
Mark Okey
Phone: (614) 466-1464
Fax: (614) 719-3961
Email: district61@ohr.state.oh.us
Raymond Pryor
Phone: (614) 644-7928
Fax: (614) 719-6985
Email: district85@ohr.state.oh.us
W. Carlton Weddington
Phone: (614) 466-5343
Fax: (614) 719-3581
Email: district27@ohr.state.oh.us
Jeff Wagner
Phone: (614) 466-1374
Fax: (614) 719-6981
Email: district81@ohr.state.oh.us
Richard Adams
Phone: (614) 466-8114
Fax: (614) 719-3979
Email: district79@ohr.state.oh.us
Troy Balderson
Phone: (614) 644-6014
Fax: (614) 719-6994
Email: district94@ohr.state.oh.us
Terry Boose
Phone: (614) 466-9628
Fax: (614) 719-3958
Email: district58@ohr.state.oh.us
Timothy Derickson
Phone: (614) 644-5094
Fax: (614) 719-6953
Email: district53@ohr.state.oh.us
Matthew J. Dolan
Phone: (614) 644-5088
Fax: (614) 719-6998
Email: district98@ohr.state.oh.us
Dave Hall
Phone: (614) 466-2994
Fax: (614) 719-6997
Email: district97@ohr.state.oh.us
Margaret Ruhl
Phone: (614) 466-1431
Fax: (614) 719-6990
Email: district90@ohr.state.oh.us
James Zehringer
Phone: (614) 466-6344
Fax: (614) 719-3977
Email: district77@ohr.state.oh.us
Residents, please contact your state representative and let them know you support HB 79: http://www.house.state.oh.us/
The bill can be tracked here: http://lsc.state.oh.us/coderev/hou128.nsf/House%20Bill%20Number?SearchView&Query=HB%2079&start=1&count=10
Previous alert and more info on the bill: http://stopbsl.com/2009/03/18/ohio-hb-79-would-remove-bsl-from-state-law/
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Where is the hearing on the 29th to be held?
Hearings are held at the state capitol (statehouse). The House Committee schedule identifies the room to be used. You can find the schedule here: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/house_committee_schedule.cfm
However, we are too far away from the date at this time, so I am not yet sure which room the hearing will be held in.
I just returned from the first Committee meeting on HB 79. I actually sat next to Rep. Sears and her aid before she got up to speak. Basically Rep. Sears just got up and introduced the bill and took a couple questions from the committee members. I thought Sears did a good job and she had some good facts against BSL which she presented to the committee. I was however a bit disappointed that about 1/3 of the committee members left the room while Rep. Sears was speaking. Over all the members that were there seemed like they were open and supportive of the bill.
Till the next meeting,
James L
Any updates on HB 79? Thanks!
Valerie–I’ll make a note to check on this when I have a minute. The last time I talked to Rep. Sears (a couple months ago), she advised me that the bill was still alive, but that it took lower priority than the state budget discussions. She expected the bill to be revisited once the budget was taken care of. If anyone else has a minute to contact Rep. Sears and inquire about the current status, please let me know what you hear. Thanks!
I’ve been producing a documentary about breed discrimination for the last two+ years. I am also a resident of Ohio and a responsible pit bull owner and have tried to write all the state reps about this bill and have received little reply back from any of them. I’d also like to know what is going on if anyone can help.
On 9/22 I received a reply from Rep. Sears regarding this bill. The bill is still alive, but sitting in committee. Sears is trying to get it back up for discussion. There’s nothing we can really do until then.
Please guys, lets keep calling all the reps and telling them how important it is to have this bill heard! I live in Ohio and have never been harassed so much in my life. I am also a repeonsible, law abiding citizen who is under fire and had to get one of my dogs out og the city based on his looks, not behavior. This must stop, and soon
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This bill is going to be heard on April 14th, 2010. I just spoke with Rep. Sears office. Please support this bill, this may be the last chance we get!!!!!! Spread the word!!!!
Mike, thanks for the update! I will get the word out.
I just returned from the 2nd hearing on Ohio HB 79. About 10 or so people got up and spoke. Only 2 speakers were opposed. First was a guy from Franklin County Court who gave some statistics supporting that pit bulls bite more than any other breed. When questioned by committee members he couldn’t follow up on the statistics at all. Others did a good job in explaining why his statistics were skewed. Second was ex dog warden Tom Skeldon who really didn’t say anything relevant other than his opinion. The committee didn’t even ask him any questions. One of the best speakers was the lady from the Ohio Coalition of Dog Advocates. I believe her name was Jean. She deserves a special shout out. The chairman even had to bag his gavel to stop the applause after she spoke.
James, thanks very much for this update!
One of the committee members asked the speaker from Franklin County Court how many people in Franklin County actually complied with the County’s dangerous dog law and he didn’t answer saying he didn’t have the data. I hope they follow up with him because I believe he TRULY DID know the answer and he just didn’t want to say it because the answer was ZERO! Most people who would want to comply with the law CAN’T because it’s too restrictive and almost impossible to get the type of insurance required. So either people ignore the law (break it) or don’t have pit bulls. But pit bull owners in compliance with that law would be ZERO! Which is why it shouldn’t be a law, it’s non compliable.
Oh god, why would Tom Skeldon be there? he is nto relivant anymore, he is gone. I can’t even stand his name. I just hope that the LAWMAKERS actually leave this up to the actual experts considering the fact that they know more about animal behavior than committee members do. Any more info, please let me know!!!
I also would like to know if that guy who said pit bulls bite more than any other dog even knows if the dogs that have been biting are even “pit bulls” Some kid in jersey township just got his face chewed off by his grandfathers chow, and I have heard nothing about it, now if it was a “pit bull” it would have been front page…