SENATE RULES COMMITTEE
Office of Senate Floor Analyses
(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) 327-4478
ACR 56
THIRD READING
Bill No:
Author:
Introduced:
Vote:
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Linder (R), et al.
4/20/15
21
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 79-0, 7/16/15 (Consent) - See last page for vote
SUBJECT: Official State Pet
SOURCE: Social Compassion in Legislation
State Humane Association of California
DIGEST:
This resolution declares a shelter pet as the official State Pet.
ANALYSIS: This resolution states the following:
1)
Approximately eight million abandoned pets live in animal shelters
in the United States.
2)
Three to four million of these dogs and cats are euthanized every
year.
This resolution states that the Legislature seeks to raise public awareness of shelter
animals by declaring a shelter pet as the official State Pet.
Background
According to the State Humane Association of California, over 800,000 animals
each year are taken into California’s public and private shelters. These shelters
work across the state to rescue, rehabilitate, and find a home for these animals.
However, due to limited time and lack of resources, roughly 40% of shelter
animals in California are euthanized.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(ASPCA), approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters
nationwide every year. Of those, roughly 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are
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cats. Each year, approximately 2.7 million animals are euthanized, while 2.7
million shelter animals are adopted.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No
Fiscal Com.:
No
Local: No
SUPPORT: (Verified 8/18/15)
Social Compassion in Legislation (co-source)
State Humane Association of California (co-source)
Beagle Freedom Project
Calaveras Humane Society
Fix Fido
Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter
Lorraine Thomas Amador County Animal Shelter
Pets in Need
Social Compassion in Legislation
Solano County Animal Care Advisory Commission
Stockton Animal Services
Yucca Valley Animal Care and Control
OPPOSITION: (Verified 8/18/15)
None received
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: According to the author, “By naming the Shelter
Pet as the official California State Pet, the California Legislature will send a strong
signal of support for California’s public and private shelters that work every day,
year round, to save unwanted animals, bring them back to health, provide them
safe harbor off the streets and out of abusive homes, and ultimately hope to either
reunite lost pets with their loving owners, or find new and caring homes. By
making the shelter pet the official state pet, it would encourage people to first
consider adopting an existing animal residing in a shelter, giving shelters a
valuable new tool to help bring attention to the millions of animals waiting for
adoption.”
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 79-0, 7/16/15
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta,
Brough, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chang, Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu,
Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth Gaines,
Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez,
Gray, Grove, Hadley, Harper, Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones, JonesSawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mathis,
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Page 3
Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell,
Olsen, Patterson, Perea, Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas,
Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber,
Wilk, Williams, Wood, Atkins
NO VOTE RECORDED: Gordon
Prepared by: Melissa Ward / SFA / (916) 651-1520
8/19/15 20:34:41
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