Behind the Capitol after yesterday’s Rally for the Puppymill Dogs
I arrived at yesterday’s rally late due to a prior commitment. It was approximately 1:30 but there were many people with their dogs walking the entire grounds around the Capitol to show their support for House Bill 2525. I heard there were hundreds of supporters. I was so glad to hear this. I have been at these rallies before and not many people ever showed up. This was great. A couple of women told me that Gov. Rendell had showed up with his puppymill rescue dog, Maggie, and when he asked the Representatives to vote for this legislation during his speech, Maggie barked, as if on command. All of us got a chuckle out of that.
I talked with a group of nice ladies who wanted to walk their dogs inside to show the Representatives first-hand what this legislation means to them. Of course, that isn’t allowed. They continued to tell me that every amendment added had been vetoed or withdrawn.
Since they weren’t able to go inside, I decided to go sit in the gallery of the House of Representatives to know what was going on with the legislation. I was observing for a mere 10 minutes (give or take a few minutes) when I heard Rep. Jim Casorio (sponsor of HB 2525) ask for a vote to be held on his bill at the end of yesterday’s session.
Since I didn’t know how long the session would last – Monday’s session lasted until at least 6:30 -I decided to leave and watch it on my computer at home.
Apparently, the vote didn’t happen. Perhaps I heard wrong.Through a phone call from Rep. Casorio’s office, I was told a vote will be held today!!!
The woman from Rep. Casorio’s office told me that our next hurdle is getting the Senate to pass this bill. Once again, we have to be vigilant and call and urge them to vote this bill through so it can land on Rendell’s desk and become law. Representatives said have said they have been inundated with phone calls. After today, it is time to call our Senators. We can make a difference and it ‘s showing! I’m still holding my breath but still very much optimistic that our voices have been heard!! I may sound premature in my predictions but what I’m hearing sounds so good!