New animal-related legislation passed and signed in seven states

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2002:

Florida Governor Jeb Bush on April 19 signed into law a bill
requiring anyone convicted of intentionally torturing or killing an
animal to attend an anger management counseling workshop.

Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating on April 14 signed into law a
bill prohibiting the construction of new poultry barns within
100-year flood plains, within 300 feet of any state-owned waterways;
and within a mile and a half of any designated scenic river area,
public drinking water well, or water body designated as Outstanding
Resource Waters by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board. The new law
also adds restrictions on poultry manure distribution as fertilizer.

Washington Governor Gary Locke on March 29 signed into law a
bill allowing felony prosecution of a dog owner whose dog kills or
injures someone, if there is clear evidence that the dog should have
been considered dangerous, whether or not the dog actually bit
anyone. The bill includes exemptions for attacks occurring on the
dog owners’ own property, and attacks that were provoked, and
prohibits classifying a dog as dangerous based on breed.

The Iowa legislature in mid-April sent to Governor Tom
Vilsack a bill to expand the state prohibitions on animal fighting to
include penalties for attending events such as dogfights and
cockfights.

Wisconsin Governor Scott McCallum in early April signed the
first revision of the state law pertaining to captive wildlife since
1972. It includes language barring the sale or purchase of
opportunities to hunt captive wildlife, with exemptions for bird
species such as pheasant on licensed bird hunting preserves, and
deer on registered deer farms–if the enclosure the deer occupy is at
least 80 acres. The new law also requires health certification of
wild animals newly brought into the state, a rule meant to keep
chronic wasting disease out of the Wisconsin wild deer herd.
However, at least 10 deer with CWD have already been shot by
Wisconsin hunters. Producing symptoms in deer and elk similar to the
symptoms of “mad cow disease,” CWD is also believed to be capable of
spreading to humans in the form of new variant Creutzfeld-Jakob
Syndrome, in which brain tissue degenerations until the victim
dies. There is no known successful treatment or cure. First
identified among captive elk in Colorado during the 1960s, CWD has
now been detected in most of the Rocky Mountain states, as well as
Alberta province, Canada, and is believed to have been spread
through movements of captive-raised elk among hunting ranches.

Kansas Governor Bill Graves on April 18 signed into law a
bill increasing the penalties for inflicting harm on search and
rescue dogs.

Maine Governor Angus King on April 11 signed into law a bill
sought by Bath Middle School student Kelly Davis, 13, permitting
her to raise funds with which to buy bulletproof vests for police
dogs. Davis raised $18,000 and outfitted 18 of the 40 police dogs in
Maine before she was warned that Maine law prohibits soliciting
donations for law enforcement agencies. To expire in February 2004
unless renewed by the Maine Legislature, the bill requires the state
attorney general, Maine Chiefs of Police Association, and Maine
Sheriff’s Association to report to the legislature in 1993 about
whether the bill is working and being used properly.