Rep. John Maher – “Very excited tha gas chamber executions of cats and dogs may soon be outlawed in Pennyslvania.” Maher’s response to me of the passing of HB 2630
HB 2630- the National Euthanasia Method Act- sponsored by Rep. John Maher (R)- passed in the House of Representatives this afternoon with a vote of 189-6. This bill has now moved to the Senate where Senator Andy Dinniman (D) is working very hard to get it passed during the Fall Session.
HB 2630 replaced Senator Dinniman’s SB 1329 (Daniel’s Law) which had the same outcome of outlawing gas chambers in animal shelters. Senator Dinniman and Rep. Maher are working very hard to accomplish the same goal. Rep. Maher worked feverishly to get HB 2630 introduced and voted on since the beginning of the fall session last week.
Time is vitally important to get this bill passed because there are three more session days for the Senate to pass HB 2630, according to Senator Dinniman’s office. Those dates are October 15th, 16th, and 17th. It needs the votes of our State Senators in that time frame so it can be signed into law by Governor Tom Corbett (R) this year.
You can call your State Senator and tell him or her that you want HB 2630 passed to end the most cruel method in which to kill shelter animals in PA. According to Senator Dinniman’s office, there are three animal shelters in western PA that still use this death contraption to kill homeless animals. If this bill passes into law, all three must discontinue this barbaric method and be trained to humanely euthanize animals.
We must also not forget all of the hard work Senator Dinniman has accomplished with his version of this bill. Without his efforts, HB 2630 wouldn’t have passed in the House today, in my opinion. If you so desired, you can always call his office to thank him for his determination to get this bill passed.
You can contact your State Senator here. Time is crucial. While today we received positive news, we can’t proclaim victory until it passes in the Senate and signed into law by Governor Corbett.
Sadly, 31 other states also use gas chambers as a means to kill thousands, possibly more, of homeless animals in shelters. Let’s send a message to other states to stand up for animals and do the right thing.
Time for the death of gas chambers in PA!