S2923. New Jersey. End of 7-Day Holding Period for Homeless Animals.

Is it just me, or is New Jersey really going to pot on animal welfare? We're hitting all the stops on the animal cruelty line. New Jersey has become the Kill State with kill the bears, kill the deer, kill the geese, and now kill the strays. That's quite a fall from grace since we were once the Garden State. We still are? Don't insist. It's no longer true. Killing is our forte now.

Well, where does this malaise come from? This bill S2923 isn't just an afterthought. At this point, It has passed both houses of legislature and it is ready to be made into a law by a stroke of the Governor's pen. Quite frankly, I don't see Gov. Christie having a pang of conscience and vetoing this bill. He has no conscience. He's not a friend of the animals unless they are on his plate. If you too feel that everything is starting to stink in New Jersey, remember that the fish rots from the head.

With this bill becoming law, pray for those pets who happen to lose their way and end up in a shelter. They won't be given a 7-day grace period anymore; their owners will have absolutely no time to save them. Some shelter blockhead can play God over your dog or cat, and this bill will give them the opportunity to do just that.

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Animal Protection League of NJ

S2923: CONDITIONAL VETOED NEEDED Senate Bill 2923, a bill that deals with spay/neuter and assorted animal control issues, passed the Senate and the Assembly and is now on the Governor's desk. Christie NEEDS TO VETO THIS by August 25 or it automatically becomes law. A provision in S2923 is TERRIBLE as it supersedes the current, mandatory seven day holding requirement for animals brought into a NJ shelter. S2923 allows for an animal to be euthanized before the end of the seven day holding period "if the age, health, or behavior of the animal warrants euthanizing it before seven days has elapsed." Allowing this type of broad discretion is a death sentence for: animals the shelter thinks are too old to be adopted; animals with medical issues the shelter does not want to handle financially or otherwise; companion animals who may have slipped their leash and are deemed too old, sickly, etc: feral cats. The negative impact for feral cats is two-fold in that not only will it allow for their immediate killing, but the change eliminates any incentive for shelters to address feral cat populations through highly successful non-lethal TNR programs. Impounded animals may be frightened; in fact, such "behavior" upon sudden impoundment may be the norm and is usually temporary. It's our understanding that the bill started out as something good and morphed into what it is now. Read the bill in its entirety here. Contact us for further info at info@aplnj.org or 732-446-6808. PLEASE TAKE ACTION 1. Contact the governor and ask him to conditionally veto S2923, which changes the current impoundment language. Remember, he must act by 8/25/11, so contact him today. Governor Chris Christie Phone: 609-292-6000 Fax: 609-292-3454, 609-292-5181, 609-777-4082, 609-777-0357 Webmail Email 2. Please use the following block of e-mails to ask these legislators to use their influence with Christie and request the conditional veto. AsmAmodeo@njleg.org, AsmPolistina@njleg.org, AsmDiCicco@njleg.org, SenAllen@njleg.org, SenAddiego@njleg.org, AsmDelany@njleg.org, AsmRudder@njleg.org, SenConnors@njleg.org, AswGove@njleg.org, AsmRumpf@njleg.org, SenCiesla@njleg.org, AsmHolzapfel@njleg.org, AsmWolfe@njleg.org, SenSKean@njleg.org, AswAngelini@njleg.org, AsmRible@njleg.org, SenBeck@njleg.org, AswCasagrande@njleg.org, AsmOscanlon@njleg.org, SenKyrillos@njleg.org, AswHandlin@njleg.org, AsmThompson@njleg.org, SenBateman@njleg.org, AsmBiondi@njleg.org, AswCoyle@njleg.org, SenKean@njleg.org, AsmBramnick@njleg.org, AswMunoz@njleg.org, SenDoherty@njleg.org, AsmPeterson@njleg.org, AsmDiMaio@njleg.org, SenOroho@njleg.org, AsmChiusano@njleg.org, AswMcHose@njleg.org, SenBucco@njleg.org, AsmBucco@njleg.org, AsmCarroll@njleg.org, SenPennacchio@njleg.org, AsmDecroce@njleg.org, AsmWebber@njleg.org, SenSinger@njleg.org, AsmDancer@njleg.org, AsmMalone@njleg.org, SenCardinale@njleg.org, AsmSchroeder@njleg.org, AswVandervalk@njleg.org, SenOToole@njleg.org, AsmRumana@njleg.org, AsmRusso@njleg.org Animal Protection League of NJ PO Box 174 Englishtown, New Jersey 07726-0174