News Alert June 27, 2008 PA’s Puppy Mill Reform Bill Scores a Victory!
On Tuesday, June 24, an important piece of ASPCA-supported, state-level legislation addressing puppy mills took a giant leap forward as
Pennsylvania House Bill 2525 was passed by the House Committee on Agriculture and Rural Affairs. HB 2525 sets higher standards for conditions in Pennsylvania’s commercial kennels. Among other protections for dogs, the bill would double the minimum floor space for primary enclosures, require that dogs have access to an outdoor exercise area and mandate annual veterinary care.
Securing this committee’s approval was the bill’s final procedural hurdle—it is now eligible to be voted on by the full PA House of Representatives.
Cori A. Menkin, Esq., Senior Director of Legislative Initiatives at the ASPCA, testified before the House Agriculture Committee Hearing on June 12 in support of HB 2525. Aided by the steadfast and vocal support of Pennsylvania members of the
ASPCA Advocacy Brigade, Menkin was instrumental in helping to secure approval of the bill.
“We are grateful to the committee for their support and are hopeful that its chairman, Michael Hanna, will move the bill to the full floor for a vote quickly,” says Menkin. “This bill is a tremendous opportunity to dramatically improve the lives of dogs in Pennsylvania's commercial kennel industry, and the ASPCA remains committed to helping push this much-needed piece of legislation through.”
To learn more about the plight of puppy mill dogs, please visit
ASPCA.org/puppymills.