Animal Welfare Supporters,

Important legislation that would provide millions of dollars each year for spay/neuter is currently being considered in the Illinois House and Senate. These bills are similar to the legislation that made New Hampshire a no-kill state. Public support is absolutely critical at this juncture, so that the bills are not killed.

What is this legislation?
Illinois legislators are now considering H.B 315 and S.B. 2078, legislation that will allow for a program of reimbursements to veterinarians for the sterilization and rabies vaccination of the dogs and cats of low-income owners and feral cat colony caretakers.

Text and Status of Illinois Senate Bill 2078
(Illinois Public Health & Safety Animal Population Control Act)

Text and Status of Illinois House Bill 315
(Illinois Public Health & Safety Animal Population Control Act) “Anna’s Bill”

These bills:
 - Protect the public safety by decreasing the number of dangerous dogs, stray dogs and cat.
 - Reduce the animal control burden on counties and municipalities through proactive, targeted
   comprehensive animal sterilization/vaccination programs and through a voluntary county
   animal population control program.
 - Revise the dangerous dog section of the Animal Control Act

Why is it needed?
To Stop the Killing
Spay/Neuter is an extremely proactive and preventative because it eliminates thousands and thousands of births each year, rather than funding animal control agencies to kill the unwanted animals once they are born. In addition, spay/neuter drastically reduces the threat of stray animals on the street. Through a relatively modest investment in preventative spay/neuter now, we will not only save thousands of dollars in the future but build a more humane society in which killing no longer has to be a management tool!

To Protect the Public
Stray dogs and cats are a public health and safety issue. There are 4.7 million individuals who are bitten by dogs in the United States each year - 70% of these cases involve unsterilized male dogs. Nearly 50% of dog attacks involve children younger than twelve years old and 334,000 people go to US emergency rooms each year for dog bite injuries. Cook County has the highest number of dog bite fatalities in the nation. All of the dogs involved in the Illinois attacks were unsterilized animals.

How will it be funded?
These bills establish a voluntary tax check-off, voluntary donations, public safety fines, forfeited spay/neuter deposits, and a licensing differential for unsterilized animals to fund the program.

Who is supporting this legislation?
These supporters need to know how appreciative we are of their efforts to make Illinois a more humane place! Please write, fax, call, or visit them and show your appreciation!

Legislators
S.B. 2078 was introduced by Senator Don Harmon and is sponsored by Senator Adeline Jay Geo-Karis.

H.B. 315 was introduced by Representative Daniel J. Burke and is sponsored by Representative James D. Brosnahan – Representative Thomas Holbrook – Representative John A. Fritchey – Representative Sara Feigenholtz.

Financial Supporters for Lobbying Efforts:
These organizations split the financial burden for cost of lobbying.

• American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
• Humane Society of Central Illinois
• PAWS Chicago
• Quincy Humane Society
• Illinois Humane

Veterinarians Supporting Legislation
We have only just begun our efforts to rally veterinarians concerned with animal welfare in support of this legislation! There are many veterinarians who will be supportive, and as we contact them and get their permission, we will continually update this site with names. If you know of a veterinarian who would sign on as a supporter of this issue, please email ledyv@aspca.org.

To see the many other agencies supporting this legislation throughout Illinois and the nation, click here.