HSUS LOSES FIRST ROUND ON NEW HAMPSHIRE “AG-GAG” BILL

 

The Concord Monitor is reporting that, despite strong opposition by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), a New Hampshire legislative committee has passed a bill that would require anyone witnessing animal abuse to report it to law enforcement within 48 hours, and inform police of any photographs or video recordings they obtained in the process.

 

Animal rights groups have characterized such legislation as “ag-gag” bills, claiming that they will discourage those who obtain undercover video of animal abuse from going public with the evidence. But, according to the September 10 article, farm groups support the New Hampshire legislation because they believe “it will help stop animal abuse quickly when it is happening, and help protect New Hampshire farmers from spurious public accusations when it isn’t.”

 

AGC spokesman Gary Guccione said it’s hard to imagine why anyone would oppose a bill that requires the prompt reporting of animal abuse by a witness. “There’s only one reason why someone would be reluctant to report animal abuse,” Guccione said. “And that’s because they want to find a way to exploit it for their own purposes.”

 

“If animal rights groups really wanted to stop animal abuse, they’d be actively supporting legislation like this,” Guccione said. “By opposing this bill, they prove that their agenda really isn’t about animal welfare at all.”

 

The bill passed out of the House Environment and Agriculture Committee on an 11-6 vote. The full House will vote on the bill in January. If passed, it goes to another House committee, and then back to the floor. If passed again, it will move to the Senate. Iowa, Missouri and Utah have passed similar bills, according to the story.