Ross Pushes for Educational Mandate Task Force

Senator Richard Ross (R-Wrentham) submitted a letter to the House Committee on Ways and Means yesterday asking for its immediate consideration of House Bill 3722, An Act establishing an educational mandate task force, which is intended to provide much needed relief to towns struggling to fund their schools and educational programs.

House Bill 3722 would establish a task force charged with reviewing all mandates on public schools and districts and assessing the feasibility of implementing a master reporting form.

“At a time when our school districts are struggling to meet all of the needs of their students, it is important that we take the time to assess the requirements we, as a legislature, are placing on schools to determine that resources are being used as efficiently and constructively as possible,” said Senator Ross.

As a member of the Joint Committee on Education, regulating these mandates has been a major priority for Senator Ross. In January 2013, Senator Ross sponsored a bill aimed at reducing paperwork and waste within the department of elementary and secondary education. The bill called for the elimination of wasteful publications by utilizing information technology in order to increase efficiency and responsiveness in the Massachusetts school system.

A new draft of this legislation was written in October, accompanying H3722. The legislation is now before the House Committee on Ways and Means.

“I am pushing for this legislation today in response to extensive feedback I have received throughout my district,” said Senator Ross. “With the new school year beginning for many this week, it is my hope that the committee will consider this soon to better serve our administrators, teachers, and students.” 

Please contact the office of Senator Ross with any questions or concerns at (617) 722-1555 or Richard.Ross@masenate.gov.

Senator Tarr’s Statement on the PAWS Act Being Signed into Law by Governor Patrick

Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) released the following statement today regarding Governor Patrick signing S.2345, An Act protecting animal welfare and safety, AKA the PAWS Act, into law.  The bill was filed by Senator Tarr following several cases of animal abuse including the tragic death of Puppy Doe:

“The signing of the PAWS Act represents a victory for everyone who cares about animals in our state, and those who have worked tirelessly to champion this legislation. Now we have stronger penalties and a clear message that if you abuse an animal there will be serious consequences.

Puppy Doe and others have suffered from unthinkable brutality that never should have happened. Yet now, motivated by those cases, we have taken strong and continuing steps to prevent it from happening again.”

Tarr, Colleagues Secure Passage of the PAWS Act

The House and Senate today enacted Senate Bill 2345, An Act Protecting Animal Welfare and Safety, which includes many of the provisions of the original PAWS Act filed by Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) in October of 2013. The legislation was initially drafted last year in honor of Puppy Doe, a female pit bull who was euthanized on August 31, 2013 because of the extensive injuries she suffered from long term, irreversible damage to her body, which included a stab wound to her eye; the splitting of her tongue to look like a serpent; a dislocated shoulder, elbow, wrist, and ankle; burns; and signs of starvation.

“Animal abuse in our Commonwealth is simply unacceptable, and legislation to confront it has been a major priority in this session,” said Senator Tarr. “Now we have acted to increase penalties to send a clear and immediate message, and to create a task force that will build a foundation for further action.”

“Animals are defenseless and we must do everything within our means to protect them from senseless assault and mistreatment by some of the cruelest members of our society,” said Senator Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford), a Senate lead co-sponsor. “We must be vigilant to ensure that those serious offenders are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Representative Louis Kafka (D-Stoughton) and Representative Bruce Ayers (D-Quincy) have also been championing legislation to strengthen the state’s animal abuse laws. A total of 76 legislators from both the House and Senate signed on to the original PAWS Act, including the entire Senate Republican Caucus.

“We’re very pleased that this crucial legislation has passed, and we extend our thanks to Senator Tarr and all of the bill’s supporters who championed these reforms,”said Kara Holmquist, director of advocacy for the MSPCA-Angell. “Animal lovers around the state can today celebrate these efforts and hopefully can find some peace knowing that from such tragic incidents, like Puppy Doe and others, awareness has been generated that will now prevent harm to other helpless animals.”

The Senate had initially approved the PAWS Act by a vote of 40-0 on July 31, the last day of formal sessions. The House subsequently adopted some minor technical amendments before passing the bill on a voice vote. The modified bill, which will give public safety officials the tools to meaningfully punish those who commit heinous acts of cruelty against animals, calls for:

• Increasing the possible fine for committing animal abuse from $2,500 to $5,000 for a first offense, and up to $10,000 for a second and any subsequent offenses;

• Raising the maximum time in prison from 5 years to 7 years for a first offense and up to 10 years for a second and any subsequent offenses;

• Requiring veterinarians to report suspected animal abuse (similar to the requirement for medical staff who suspect child abuse); and

• Creating a special task force of experts in law enforcement, animal protection, veterinary practice, legal professionals, and industry professionals to review methods to prevent animal abuse and punish those who commit animal abuse.

The bill now heads to Governor Patrick’s desk for his signature.

Animal Abuse Bill on the Move

Senate Bill 2345, An Act ProtectingAnimal Welfare and Safety, moved one step closer to final passage today, as the Senate concurred with a technical amendment the House made to the bill on the last day of formal sessions July 31^st.

The latest bill reflects many of the elements contained in the original PAWS Act (Senate Bill 1914), which Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr and the Senate Republican Caucus filed in October of 2013 with the support of 75 legislative co-sponsors. Passage of this animal protection bill has been one of Senator Tarr’s top priorities for the 2013-2014 legislative session.

Like the original PAWS Act, Senate Bill 2345 provides for increased fines and jail time for individuals who maim, injure or kill an animal, and carries additional penalties for repeat offenders.  It also requires veterinarians to report suspected cases of animal cruelty, while creating a special taskforce of experts in law enforcement, animal protection, veterinary, legal professionals, and industry professionals to review methods to prevent animal abuse and punish those who commit these crimes.

If the House and Senate enact the bill on Thursday, Senate Bill 2345 could be on the Governor’s desk before the end of the week.