I haven’t heard a zany news story come from my home state of California for at least a week or two. But today yet another action by the Utah House of Representatives has come to my attention. Brought to you by the folks who created the “Feral Cat Bill” (click link for original Utah story, as well as context of my Utah-California comparison).
The House Revenue and Taxation Committee voted down proposed regulations to stave off puppy mills in Utah this morning. Democratic Representative Jackie Biskupskis bill would have required breeders selling at least six dogs or cats at a time to obtain a local business license and land use approval.
On the east coast, theyre shutting down all the puppy mills, Biskupski explains. Theyre running a lot of legislation, so states like ours where we dont have a way to track breeders because theyre not getting licenses and theyre not paying their sales tax, that makes us ripe for the puppy mills to want to come here.
The committee vote, however, will help to ensure that the puppy mill industry can grow and thrive in Utah.
The bill was rejected on a 5-to-6 vote, but lawmakers who voted no didnt explain why they opposed it.
Maybe it was anti-tax or anti-regulation sentiment that drove the vote. Or maybe the nay-sayers made a different calculation: more breeders = more ferals = more animals to shoot if the “Feral Cat Bill” becomes law = more fun for sociopaths.
