Update April 21, 2017:
Good newsthe Connecticut Environment Committee passed H.B. 6334! Now the bill is being considered by the full House chamber.
Please contact your representatives and ask that they vote yes on the bill.
Original Post:
Animal shelters provide an integral service for animals and citizens. That means they should be held to the highest possible standards. A new bill in Connecticut could be a big step toward increasing shelter oversight in the state and improving the treatment of shelter animals.
The Connecticut Environment Committee is considering bill H.B. 6334, which requires all shelters to register with the Commissioner of Agriculture. It also allows for shelters to be inspected to ensure they are following regulations for sanitation, disease and humane treatment of dogs and cats, and public safety protection. Any shelter not doing its job correctly can have its registration suspended or taken away.
Legislation that mandates transparency and oversight is essential to ensure that all shelters are properly serving their communities. When animal shelters improve, so do the lives of the humans and animals around them. H.B. 6334 is a vital step toward improving animal shelter conditions and bolstering the services shelters provide to Connecticut’s citizens and the animals they care about.