2/26/10
CAACO Members,
House Bill 10-1124 was defeated today on the House Floor by a wide margin.
Throughout the discussion,several Representatives made very strong statements about the hard work and dedication of the Animal Control and Humane Agencies across the state of Colorado who protect public safety and the welfare of animals.Representatives also denounced the testimony provided while the Bill was in Committee as one sided or just false.
A special thank you must go out to all that participated in this process.
First the members of CAACO that provided testimony or were present for moral support at the Ag Committee hearings Julie Justman, Janee Boswell, Becky Robinson, Bill Porter, Scott Macdonald, Jamie Norris, and Shawn Million. I know your schedules are busy but yoursupport is greatly appreciated. All the members that called, e-mailed, sent letters to their Representatives and encouraged others to do the same thank you for caring enough to make your voice heard.
The Colorado Federation of Animal Welfare Agencies (Lisa Pederson, President and Judy Calhoun, Legislative Committee Chair) and Colorado Veterinarian Medical Association (Ralph Johnson, Executive Director). Each of these organizations contributed countless hours and resources to defeat this Bill. Without their support and dedication this Bill could not have been defeated.
The Dumb Friends League (Bob Rohde, Michelle Ray, Sheri Tuffield and numerous others) that put together the community outreach effort and engaged the community on this critical matter. These efforts resulted in over 3,500 contacts with Representatives voicing strong opposition to the Bill, gnerated more than 1400 members on their Facebook page, and several media stories that helped with the effort.Without a doubt these efforts turned the tied in this battle. CAACO isextremely grateful.
A very special thank you goes out to Jessica Morgan of Morgan Public Affairs. Jess is the Lobbyist that did all of the political work. She was at the capital every day to ensure our message was being heard, up all night making contacts and keeping everyone informed, and using her tremendous political savvy to protect public safety and the welfare of animals.
Last but certainly not least, to all of the citizens of Colorado that took the time to contact their elected officials and express their strong opposition to this reckless legislation thank you. We are sincerely grateful that you careand this demonstrates that each individual has a voice and that voice counts.
My heart felt gratitude, admiration, and respect goes out to all the individuals and organizations that workedtirelessly these past few weeks to defeat this Bill. Because of your dedication, professionalism, and never give up attitude we wona tremendous victory and sent a very strong message to those that would infringe upon our ability to protect public safety and welfare of animals.
Going forward, this effort is a wonderful example of how "The Animal Welfare Community of Colorado" works collaboratively to achieve common goals. We absolutely must continue to stand united to protect those that cannot protect themselves.
Sincerely,
Joe Stafford
President
Colorado Association of Animal Control Officers