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Sacramento, Calif., March 18, 2024 – Today, ACR 86, the Pet Crisis Response Act, authored by Assemblymember Ash Kalra, coauthored by a bipartisan group of 16 legislators, and sponsored by Social Compassion in Legislation, passed the Senate with a unanimous vote of 40-0. The bill was presented by Senator Susan Eggman, who shared her passion about saving animals and recent real-world examples of the problem from her district.
The full legislature has thus officially confirmed what we've been saying for years: California has a pet overpopulation crisis that requires an immediate political response.
ACR 86 creates a framework for the state to take a multifaceted approach to addressing this monumental problem, and for us, the animal-loving community, to mobilize to ensure that the important bills SCIL is sponsoring or supporting this year get signed into law.
"We thank Assemblymember Kalra and the entire legislature for treating this critical issue with the sense of urgency it requires," said Judie Mancuso, Founder and President of Social Compassion in Legislation. "We also thank the many veterinarians, RVTs, shelter professionals, and the rescue community for their collaboration and recognition of ACR 86. There is so much to be done to help save the hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats languishing in our state's animal shelters and on our streets, awaiting a death sentence they do not deserve. The passage of this resolution gives us the momentum to continue addressing the problem from multiple angles."
SCIL is proud to be sponsoring four ACR 86-related bills:
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AB 1983 will provide funding for spay and neuter through a tax check-off program
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AB 2012 will ensure that shelters report their intake and outcome data to the state, and that the data is made available to the public
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AB 2133 will expand spay and neuter capacity within the veterinary profession
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AB 2425 will tighten up breeder regulations and require shelters to list adoptable animals
SCIL is also supporting AB 2216, which will curb restrictions on pets in rental housing - a major reason why owners relinquish their pets, and SB 1233, which will develop standards and guidelines for high-quality, high-volume spay and neuter surgical techniques and implement them in California veterinary medical school coursework.
"As SCIL's in-house lobbyist, I look forward to working with the legislature to get our sponsored and supported bills to the Governor's desk," said Nickolaus Sackett, Director of Legislative Affairs. “Along the way, each bill will require public support. Legislators need to hear directly from Californians up and down the state that they expect meaningful action to reduce pet overpopulation and save animal lives starting today.”
You can read the full text of the resolution here.
To read more about the ACR 86-related bills SCIL is sponsoring this year, click here.
As always, your donations of any size are welcome, and every dollar will be put to good use!
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