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2008: State Victories by the Dozen

California voters made history in 2008
by passing Proposition 2.

Thanks to the help of our dedicated advocates and the support of state
legislators, 2008 was an historic year for animals in state
lawmaking.

We ushered in a whole new era of policies for animals with 91 new
animal protection laws enacted this year, shattering the previous
record number of 86 new laws in 2007. The HSUS worked on a wide range
of issues this year, from increasing penalties against animal
fighting, to making historic progress on combating puppy mills, to
prohibiting the inhumane confinement of farm animals.

There were many successes around the country, and below are twelve
that we believe are the most significant victories of the year.

California: Proposition 2

The Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, known as Prop 2, is widely
regarded as the most ambitious ballot measure for animals ever
undertaken in the United States.

And on November 4, more than 63 percent of California voters
overwhelmingly approved this measure, to halt the practice of
confining veal calves, egg-laying hens and breeding pigs in crates and
cages so small the animals can barely move over the course of their
entire lives.

"Proposition 2 will improve the lives of 20 million farm animals,"
said Jennifer Fearing, campaign manager for the YES! on Prop 2
campaign. "The people of California acted with compassion and decency
and will help propel our fight here and across the country to protect
farm animals from unacceptable cruelty." This initiative could not
have passed without an enormous grassroots effort: thousands of
supporters who donated money or contributed time to collect signatures
and gain support for this historic measure.

Colorado: Farm Animal Welfare

The HSUS engaged in negotiations with leaders in Colorado's animal
agriculture industry and key lawmakers to improve the lives of farm
animals, and this year we celebrated the outcome of these negotiations
when Colorado became the first state to ban the use of both veal
crates and gestation crates through its state legislature.

S.B. 201 will improve the lives of nearly 150,000 farm animals by
phasing out the use of gestation crates and veal crates—individual
cages that confine breeding sows and veal calves. We hope that
Colorado can be a model for the nation and inspire other states to
halt the inhumane confinement of farm animals.



Delaware became the 4th state to protect
consumers by requiring the labeling of all
garments containing fur.

Delawa Fur Labeling

Delaware became the 4th state in the nation to require the labeling of
garments containing animal fur when Governor Minner signed H.B. 216
into law. An ongoing investigation by The HSUS found that unlabeled
jackets were falsely advertised and sold as faux fur, even though
testing revealed that the garments actually contained real fur from
raccoon dogs and other animals.

"Delaware shoppers would be horrified to know that they could be duped
into buying animal fur, possibly from a type of dog often skinned
alive in China," said Michael Markarian, executive vice president for
The HSUS. "We applaud Delaware lawmakers for passing this important
policy to protect consumers from rampant deception."

Georgia: Dogfighting

In the aftermath of Michael Vick, more than 25 states considered
legislation in 2008 to crack down on animal fighting. Until this year,
Georgia was ranked as having the worst dogfighting law in the country.
But state lawmakers worked to close gaps in the law by passing H.B.
301, which increases the penalties for dogfighting, bans the
possession of fighting dogs, and makes it a crime to be a spectator at
a dogfight. H.B. 301 now places Georgia among the states with the
strongest dogfighting laws.


Huemer/The HSUS
More than 25 states considered bills
to crack down on animal fighting
in 2008.

Idaho: Dogfighting

The HSUS has been working hard to crack down on animal fighting and
take a stand against this repugnant industry. In February 2008, animal
advocates celebrated another victory when S.B. 1260 was signed into
law and Idaho became the 49th state to make dogfighting a felony.

Louisiana: Puppy Mills

2008 was a remarkable year for our work combating puppy mills, with
raids in states like Tennessee and West Virginia, and more than 20
states considering legislation to improve the laws against these
operations.

Puppy mills are breeding facilities that treat dogs like cash crops
and house dogs in horrific conditions. One of our biggest legislative
victories against this industry was in Louisiana, where the
legislature passed precedent-setting legislation, H.B. 1193, that
placed an actual limit on the number of dogs kept by breeders, in
order to prevent the operation of factory farm type breeding
facilities.

With this new law, breeding operations are now limited to no more than
75 adult dogs.

Massachusetts: Question 3

In Massachusetts, voters approved Question 3, to phase out the
greyhound racing industry. At these tracks, thousands of greyhounds
are forced to compete every year and endure lives of terrible
confinement, kept in small cages barely large enough to stand up or
turn around for 20 or more hours per day.

Since 2002, there have been 841 reported injuries at the two
Massachusetts tracks, and 80 percent of those injuries were broken
legs. It's expected that this sweeping victory will speed up the
demise of this industry, and will also send a message to other states
that dogs deserve better.

Pennsylvania: Puppy Mills

Pennsylvania, notoriously known as the "Puppy Mill Capital of the
East," has been tarnished with the reputation of being one of the
worst puppy mill states in the nation. In April, coverage on national
television highlighted the horrific conditions at Pennsylvania puppy
mills with undercover footage taken at a facility in Lancaster, Penn.
But with efforts spearheaded by Governor Ed Rendell, the state
legislature passed H.B. 2525, to significantly improve the lives of
thousands of dogs in Pennsylvania, and took a strong stance against
this abusive industry. Read more about current puppy mill state laws
and how to help by visiting www.stoppuppymills.org.

Utah became the 44th state to
have felony penalties for animal
cruelty.

Utah: Felony Cruelty

After a multi-year effort, Utah became the 44th state with felony-
level animal cruelty penalties after a major collaborative push by
animal protection groups, veterinarians, prosecutors and others.

After hammering out a compromise bill, the legislature passed S.B. 297
in 2008, making the torture of a dog or cat a felony on the first
offense. As Mary Lou Randour, a psychologist with The HSUS states,
"Perpetrators of human violence often use beloved family pets as yet
another means of intimidation and control, and research shows that
people who abuse animals are more likely to commit acts of human
violence in the future.

Strong laws against animal cruelty are critical in stopping the cycle
of violence." We look forward to working with lawmakers in the
remaining five states, Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi, North Dakota, and
South Dakota, to get felony animal cruelty laws on the books.

Virginia: Animal Fighting

One of our toughest legislative battles against animal fighting was in
the Commonwealth of Virginia, one of the nation's hotbeds for illegal
cockfighting and the home state of Michael Vick. The Virginia Gamefowl
Breeders Association (VGBA) tried hard to defeat this bill, but
legislators saw through their ploys to continue their illegal
activities. H.B. 656/S.B. 592 gained outstanding support from key
organizations and was also a part of Virginia Attorney General Bob
McDonnell's 2008 anti-crime agenda. Governor Tim Kaine also endorsed
this legislation and with his signature, the Commonwealth now has one
of the nation's most effective laws to eradicate cockfighting and
dogfighting. Until this bill, The HSUS rated Virginia's anti-
cockfighting law as the second-worst in the nation—in fact,
cockfighting was legal as long as the activity involved no gambling.

Virginia: Puppy Mills

An HSUS investigation in 2007 revealed that Virginia had a serious
puppy mill issue. Not previously thought to be a major puppy-producing
state, Virginia is actually home to approximately 1,000 commercial
breeders, the investigation found. In 2008, Virginia lawmakers
addressed this serious problem by passing H.B. 538, and becoming the
first state in the nation to limit the size of puppy mills by making
it illegal to maintain more than 50 dogs over the age of one year. We
will continue working to crack down on the puppy mill industry, but
each one of us can help stop the puppy mill trade entirely by choosing
to adopt a pet from a shelter or rescue group.
Wyoming: Dogfighting

After Idaho passed S.B. 1260 in February, Wyoming was the only state
without felony penalties for dogfighting. But in March, Governor Dave
Freudenthal signed H.B. 46, and ushered in a new era for animal
protection by making this cruel blood sport a felony nationwide. "This
is a real reason to celebrate—a landmark moment in the struggle to rid
our nation of this hideously cruel activity that destroys so many
innocent animals and is so corrosive to the ideals of a decent and
civil society," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS.
It's clear that Americans will not tolerate such a vicious form of
animal cruelty any longer.

It's clear that 2008 was an historic year for the animal protection
movement. These accomplishments deserve much celebration, and we look
forward to working with state legislators in 2009 to further advance
the welfare of our country's animals. But the only way we can further
our work is with the help of our dedicated advocates, who have stood
by us time and time again urging their legislators for a more humane
nation. We hope that we can count on them in the years ahead to
contact state lawmakers, become citizen lobbyists and energize others
in their communities. To stay up to date on the status of animal
protection, be sure to join our online community.