EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

It has been a crazy couple of weeks in Austin!! I now have an update regarding HB 2833.

Spoke with the lobbyist briefly last night and HB 2833 is in LegCouncil to have 2 points that were discussed rewritten.  They are looking at it being out today or tomorrow at the latest.  With all the rewrites on other bills, LegCouncil is busy and a little behind schedule.  2833 will then go back to the Ag & Livestock Committee next week for vote where the lobbyist feels strongly that it is going to pass committee. It will then go on the calendar for vote on the House floor where it is looking good to pass there.  It wouldn't hurt to reconnect with your Reps and reconfirm your wishes for them to SUPPORT HB 2833.

After we get through the House, hopefully next week, HB 2833 will travel to the Senate.  The lobbyist is working on getting a Senator to pick it up. Since it went through the Ag & Livestock Committee in the House, it will go before the Ag Committee in the Senate for hearing and then follow the same steps through the Senate. 

We have until May 31st to get it through this Legislative Session.  I will let everyone know when to begin the Senate push.  Right now, a reconnection with your House Representatives would be great!!

Thanks for the update on HB 2833.

Best news I have heard all week

Thanks for the update and the reminder to reconnect with our representatives Jo Lynn!

What changes have been made and when will you have a copy?

That is great news! Guess i need to get busy on the phone.  ;D

Will this go to Local and Consent if it gets out of committee?

Does anyone have a copy of the changed working?

We are still in LegCouncil...frustrating.

It will go back to the House Ag & Livestock Committee for vote - then to the House floor for vote.  Then on to the Senate.

We FINALLY got HB 2833 out of LegCouncil yesterday morning!!!!  It has been sent to Rep. Kleinschmidt for his approval and we hope to get it voted out of committee today!!  It will then go to Calendars for a vote and then to the House Floor.  I pray that this process moves very quickly as time is running short!!  I hope that everyone is reconnecting with their State Representatives and asking for their support on HB 2833.  A little good news is that the 2 groups that opposed our bill in hearing, THLN and HSUS, will be taking a neutral position on HB 2833 throughout the remaining Legislative Session.  8) 

Can you post up the final language?

I do not have a copy yet.  I have requested a copy and will try and get that posted as soon as I get it.


A copy of the new committee substitute has been posted here:
http://www.lswda.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=477&start=20

Good deal.  Hopefully it's smoothe sailing from here.

BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the classification and care of working dogs; providing
criminal penalties.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Chapter 822, Health and Safety Code, is amended
by adding Subchapter F to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER F. WORKING DOGS

Sec. 822.151. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
(1) "Sterilization" has the meaning assigned by
Section 828.001.
(2) "Working dog" means a dog:
(A) used primarily for droving, tending,
locating, working, or protecting livestock, including domestic and
feral swine and exotic livestock;
(B) used for law enforcement, military, or search
and rescue purposes;
(C) used to locate, retrieve, or capture an
animal or to recover a wounded animal; or
(D) being trained for a purpose described by
Paragraphs (A) through (C).

Sec. 822.152. APPLICABILITY. This subchapter applies to a
working dog regardless of where the dog is located.

Sec. 822.153. REGULATION OF WORKING DOGS. Notwithstanding
any other law, a working dog is not subject to a law that:
82R26684 NAJ-F 1

(1) requires sterilization of a dog;
(2) regulates the manner in which a dog is housed;
(3) requires additional insurance due to a dog ’s
weight, breed, sex, or reproductive status; or
(4) restricts the breed of dog that a person may own or
possess.

SECTION 2. Section 828.013, Health and Safety Code, is
amended to read as follows:
Sec. 828.013. EXEMPTIONS. This chapter does not apply to:
(1) a dog or cat that is claimed from a releasing
agency by a person who already owns the animal;
(2) a working dog, as defined by Section 822.151;AA
(3) a releasing agency located in a municipality that
has in effect an ordinance providing standards for dog and cat
sterilization that exceed the requirements provided by this
chapter;
(4) [(3)] an institution of higher education that
purchases or otherwise procures a dog or cat for the purpose of
biomedical research, testing, or teaching; or
(5) [(4)] a releasing agency located in:
(A) a county with a population of 20,000 or less;
or
(B) a municipality with a population of 10,000 or
less.
SECTION 3 Section 42.09(b)(5), Penal Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(5) "Livestock animal" means:
82R26684 NAJ-F 2

(A) cattle, sheep, swine, goats, ratites, or
poultry commonly raised for human consumption;
(B) a horse, pony, mule, donkey, or hinny;
(C) native or nonnative hoofstock raised under
agriculture practices; [or]
(D) native or nonnative fowl commonly raised
under agricultural practices; or
(E) a working dog, as defined by Section 822.151,
Health and Safety Code.

SECTION 4. The change in law made by this Act to Section
42.09(b)(5), Penal Code, applies only to an offense committed on or
after the effective date of this Act. An offense committed before
the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect when
the offense was committed, and the former law is continued in effect
for that purpose. For purposes of this section, an offense was
committed before the effective date of this Act if any element of
the offense occurred before that date.

SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.
82R26684 NAJ-F 3

Thanks for posting where we could all read it!

I was told by State Rep Leo Berman's office that he said he would support hb 2833 if it came out of committee....then they added that it didn't look very good. Then I called and left a msg for Allison Billodeau, the clerk for the agriculture and livestock committee.  I hope everyone is blowing the phone lines up...it only takes a few minutes. 

Hmmmm...can you elaborate on why they stated "it didn't look good"?

One of the problems is time. Most in Austin say that a bill that was not "out" of committee by this week was not going to move forward. Do you think you have the time needed to get this done? The next Ag-Committee hearing that is listed is next Tuesday, the only bills they have up are bills that have already passed the Senate, there are no House Bills on the List, no HB 2833.


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

 
COMMITTEE:   Agriculture & Livestock 

TIME & DATE: 8:00 AM, Tuesday, May 10, 2011 

PLACE:       E1.014 
CHAIR:       Rep. Rick Hardcastle 
 

 

SB 616        Rodriguez
Relating to the sale or transportation of certain desert plants; providing a penalty.


 
SB 1480       Hegar
Relating to the regulation of exotic aquatic species by the Parks and Wildlife Department; providing penalties.


 
SB 811        Zaffirini
Relating to the regulation of the practice of veterinary medicine.


 

 

Like the post above me stated....time.

Paul,

Man, I like you. We have never had words, and I typically listen to your ideas when you post them up. That said, it seems like everything you have to say lately is aimed in a negative light on this bill. You have a real burr under your saddle either for this bill or for lswda. It may just be how you come across, but when you go to bat for a bill supported by hsus and then talk so negatively about hb 2833 it just leaves me personally with the idea that there are some personal issues there. I just wanted to get that off my chest. I'm not trying to call you out because many times I like to hear your opinions, but it reads like you have a bullseye painted on this bill or on lswda when it doesn't need to be that way. Heck, its possible you don't realize the negativity and don't mean it that way - just how it has been coming across.

Lswda and tdha are not rivals. They are just separate organizations run by folks who work well together respectively. Each organization can do its own good for working dogs or hunting dogs. Nobody is out to prove anything other than dedication to the cause. If hb 2833 does not make it out this session, we will just be more vigilant for it next time and be the squeaky wheel. It's not the end of the road. If it does get out then we can all celebrate together. I just have a hard time believing that tdha speaks higher of an hsus bill than one authored for working dog folks.

Cheers
M

Who the heck is "You" and shouldn't that read "We"?  Isn't this a joint effort by everyone that will benefit ALL working dog owners?

I kind of agree with Aladatrot's post here, Paul.  I think it's about high time personal issues and agendas are put aside for the common cause.  There is no middle ground.  If you're not for, then you are against.

Sorry folks, it appears my questions have been taken the wrong way, I have been a big supported of 2833 from the start. I have asked questions because I have no behind the scene knowledge about what is going on with 2833 and was trying to find the best way to help this bill pass.

I am quite sure however that I have never supported a hsus bill, not sure what you are referring to M.

I will re-frame from any more question.

Thanks,
Paul T

I have talked to several tdha members who don't know what's going on with the bill because they have been out of the loop. It's hard to keep up and help out when everything hits a private board that I'm not a member of.

One thing I think needs to happen, two years from now in the next session, is every dog organization in the state needs to be in the loop of writing a bill. We also need to get bird doggers on board big time, that's where the money and power is. I don't know of many govt officials that hog dog, but there is a damn lot who shoot birds.

When Paul say "you" I think he is referring to the people who are in the loop of trying to get this bill passed. I don't think he meant anything by it. I'm not a LSWD member but I would be so happy if the bill passed. Ban me now, but if someone takes the word "you" personal, sounds to me that they are the ones with personal issues...

Not to mention the times I have seen Paul on the phone, bustin his @$$ and takin his personal time for 2833.

TColt... everything about HB2833 has been posted on this website for the world to see, and updates given as they were received. ;)

Paul, I'm not saying don't ask questions. Dialogue is how we expand our minds. As I said earlier, it may be that you don't see the negatism that I was reading from your posts. This has been going on for a while though and I can show you the instant your posts went from "all for the bill" to "it is junk", paraphrased of course. It was evident in the posts. I don't know what happened, but as an outsider reading in it was pretty obvious.

If you are all for 2833, great. Perhaps I am taking your posts the wrong way. As for the hsus bill, maybe I read your post wrong but it sounded like once you conversed with the author of 1451 you were working with them on that bill. Not sure if you still are working with them or not though. Like I said, I don't typically have a problem with you or your posts, but this has been wearing on me. I guess I was misreading your intentions and I apologize if that is not how you mean your posts to come across.

Tcolt, anyone is welcomed to author a bill. While in his down time serving active duty in Iraq, lance authored this bill. He rebounded some ideas off of some lswda members and lswda ran with it. There was no intention to leave anyone out of the loop, as all the information was provided on the lswda website for all to see.

Cheers
M

Well I posted on this thread last week about not being able to read the link posted about the bill... Needless to say, that post was deleted for some reason and then the new copy was posted here. I'm not only talking about updating on status, I'm talkin keeping people in the loop as in having other people and organizations help throw in some input as to what goes and doesn't go in the bill, who exactly needs to be called, seeing if other people can get other outside sources/ connections/ professional opinions. For example, I noticed that there is nothing in the newly revised bill about transportation of working dogs and if I remember correctly there was recently a post about someone getting a ticket for dogs being in a dog box. Another example- outside sources- a law school friend of mine who I'm introducing to hog dogging says that this bill is "only part of a bill" which will make it hard to pass, it's also strictly an "exemption bill" which will make it hard to Pass, he also stated that next session (since he is 100% sure it won't pass this session) we need to get quite a bit of money together for things like "a well known lobbyist" and "campaign contributions to the right people" and get "as many organization on board as possible" power in numbers basically.

Another thought I had, a suggestion to the mods, is two years from now during the next session y'all should put the laws and bills board at the top or the boards so when you click on forum it's the first thing you see. Myself, and I'm sure many others, log on and first thing we see is all the cool stuff. Then as the stories are read and the post are made I forget to look in this section. I just noticed that these threads don't get a whole lot of hits compared to the others and I think that might help.

Myself and everyone else appreciates lswd associations hard work and effort in working on this bill. Still have my fingers crossed that we can make it happen this year. But if not this year we can do it bigger and better two years from now and hopefully get it passed then.

Allatatrot- I tried to click on the link posted on here earlier and I can't read anything but user name and password, which I don't have since I'm not a member. So it's not "for all to see"

Another example of what I meant by out of the loop... I have not read or heard anything about people or organizations needing to testify for this bill other than this.


I dont know how many LSWD is strong in numbers now, but power is in money and NUMBERS. There are many associations out there for working dogs besides LSWD and TDHA and we need as many of them to be on board as possible. Even agricultural associations where farmers have been effected by hog/yotes or whatever other animal/thing can be helped by dogs, cow/stock dog associations.

Here are a few working dog associations that would be great to have on our side, found them with a simple google search, and all it takes to see if they will "try" to get on board is a simple phone call...

Texas Hill Country Stock Dog Association-German Shepherd Dog Club of America-American Working Dog Association- North American Police Dog Association- Southwest Working Dog Association- International Working Dog Breeding Association- Texas Working Dog Association- East Texas Working Dog Association- North American Gun Dog Association

Im sure there is more than that, and then all working dog breed associations such as National Lacy Dog Association

M, I make it a habit to speak personally with every aid that is writing bills that will have a negative affect on dog hunters. I do this to explain to the person that is writing the bill "the aid" what the unintended consequences are of their bill and why we oppose it. The Reps and Senators don't write the bills their aids do. If you understand how the process works and can have an intelligent conversation with those aids, you can have an impact on the wording of the bill. I do this for all dog hunters not just TDHA members. HB 1451 was a really bad deal for some dog hunters. It could have been a lot worse (see original HB 2116) I spent long time on the phone with Thompson's aid who was writing the bill and then traded e-mails as well.

I have opposed 1451 from the start and still do, as you can see in every post I have made regarding 1451. We have got to work the law makers in Austin from both sides, working to make the bad bills better for us and also work to stop them in their tracks.

My support for 2833 has never wavered, but at times what I have seen posted about 2833 has been a little off the mark and I was confused as to what was going on and what the plan was. There was no real up to date information on the LSWDA site. I asked questions because I was concerned about the future of 2833. I never saw any mention of the problems in the bill and never saw any open discussion on what it would take to get this passed, and when the bill would have to pass each threshold to be viable. Hardcastles aid told me personally that the bill they received in committee could not go forward in its present form, I knew a committee substitute would be offered but no one released a copy of, or asked for input on language, untill the day of the committee meeting no one knew how it read. There were still some obvious problems with the bill that would keep it from getting out of committee. The person that wrote the committe substitute had to know that at the time. I hoped that my questions would be the insentive for a more public dialog regarding 2833 and how to make it a viably bill that could move forward quickly.

What is the status at this time?

M, here is my last post on 1451, the night it was taken up by the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. You may not have read it if you think I am pro 1451  ;D

I just went through the first 5 pages of TDHA "courtroom section".
5 pages and only 1, YES 1 post about HB 2833, the live stream, and the only post added, by you, is not supportive.
I have not seen a single supportive post from anyone on TDHA site.
Those of you wanting to know what's up, go to LSWDA, spend a few minutes getting setup and start reading...... IT'S FREE.
I'm tired of hearing how LSWDA should be supportive of another organization and not getting a single bit of support out of that organization or the President of it.
That's a fact.
This is some junior high school S#!^!!

Paul, I must admit that I don't read every single post on here. I just remember when you were saying you were working with the author of 1451 to make that bill acceptable. I thought that odd since everything I was getting from rpoa and saova stated that no amount of amending could make 1451 safe. I guess it stuck there in my head because it looked like from my perspective that you were wishing 2833 to fail. Of course, you have clarified now that wasn't your intent, so it is a non issue.

Cheers
M

Guys and gals yall need to put your  personal vendetas behind you and help get this passed.  Fighting amongst our selves is doing nothing good for our sport and dog hunters in general.  We are all working in the same direction to keep our sport alive. 

I'll do my best to keep this polite and as unbiased as I can....

TColt,
  You make some very good points about getting people and other organizations involved with HB2833.  In the beginning, Lance Falzone, the author of HB2833 tried to do just that. He was a member of both LSWDA and TDHA and contacted both looking for assistance and ideas. In addition to those two groups, there were several other groups contacted in the following fields. Search and Rescue, blood trailing, herding dogs, RPOA, coon hunting clubs, etc. Some organizations expressed an interest and had dialogue, others had there own items they were concentrating on, and basically stated that they were behind the bill, but could not devote the time needed to "push" the bill. Others that have been fighting along with LSWDA are Delta Waterfowl, Lone Star Bow Hunters, TOPs, US Sportsman's Aliiance, National Lacy Dog Association, Gonzales County Coon Hunters, Texas Black & Tan, Australian Sheperd Club of America,.... You can bet, that in the event HB2833 does not make it in this session, there will be a larger coalition of groups actively promoting this bill in the future.

   As for a "well known lobbyist", LSWDA has just that. You may not know him, and your law school student buddy may not know him, but Austin, Tx does know him, and they know him well. He's been at the Capitol since 1968.... and he has been busting his butt working on getting hb2833 pushed through. There have been some hiccups, and there was a rewrite that took up some time. It's the nature of the beast...  It's real easy to stand on the sidelines and throw stones, it's much more difficult to actually study and write a bill, get it sponsored, and through the house. I am just thankful that Lance took the initiative.

 

 The easiest way to stay in the loop is to friend LSWDA on Facebook.  If you and your friends are anything like most of us, you check a couple of sites/forums on the web daily, and don't really have time to go to dozens of sites daily just to stay in the loop. Facebook seems to be the best tool for keeping people updated. Heck,  LSWDA and TDHA are even friends on Facebook  ;) I don't have the facts to back this up, but I believe that there is more information posted on Fb these days than all of the message boards combined. I know that most hunts posted on ETHD on Monday morning, have been posted "real time" on FB during the weekends they occur.

Purebreed,
    You are absolutely correct, and you are not the first to mention this.  Here is an excerpt from a pm sent to me by a member of ETHD back in March, who to my knowledge is not a member of TDHA or LSWDA....

   There are some who just don't play well with others. I figured out a while back that I cannot get along with certain personalities, and as such, I no longer involve myself in their business, or post on their message board.

  Since it's inception LSWDA has maintained that it is not competing with TDHA, that they are two separate organizations with the same goal, just different ideas on how to achieve said goals. There has been a perceived competition from some, and as a result there has been a benefit to dog owners, and I have to give credit where it's due.  While I don't agree with how Paul T has handled HB2833, he has done a great job of informing the hunting public about various legislative items being proposed. He has done more on that front in this session than I have ever seen from TDHA before. I may not be a TDHA member, but as an owner of working dogs, I appreciate the effort he has put forth thus far. It has worked out well, as LSWDA has been a bit bogged down with HB2833 and the planning of its first annual AKC World Qualifier Coon Hunt, Dog Show, Weigh Pulling  and Herding dog demo/ instinct testing

   I have to agree with what others have already mentioned, it's time to move forward.

   I'll end this post with a quote that I have to remind myself of often. ;D
        "You never get ahead, trying to get even"
   

I think one way this could be solved is make the LSWD forum public... Why not? Is there secrete missions being planned or something? I am a member of more boards than I can count and I am able to keep up with 1 and 1/2 of them with my busy schedule. This one, and then sometimes I have time to get on tdha. I understand its free so on and so forth, but time is not.

I think this bill is the best idea since sliced bread. However, from the information I have gathered reading this board it seems that it was gone about all wrong... It honestly seems like LSWD was just in a hurry, which is understandable if the idea came in late. We just need to all get together and do it even better next time. Like I stated in one of my earlier posts. We need to get as many people and organizations on board as possible, including more hog doggers. The hits on these legislation threads are pathetic. We need to find another way to spread the word.

I dont think anyone is being non supportive of either group. I think everyone is frustrated since it was stated that "it doesnt look good". This is not the last time we are going to have a chance to pass a bill. So we need to start planning, for two years from now, right away. I promise you HSUS and PETA are!

So you saying you have time to READ all of whats on ETHD and blame LSWDA for not posting all its plans and business where its easy for you to find, BUT you don't have time to register for a user name on LSWDA? Maybe you would like us to set up email notifications of everything that is being done?

Tcolt, that is a good idea why can you come on here and tell others what they should be doing but yet you don't do yourself? You said you are not a member of LSWDA, but yet you want to have an opinion about how it operates? You stated if this bill passes you will become amember? well thats kinda likesitting around to wait to see what the winning team is going to be before joining a team, instead of getting on board to help a team win is it not?

As far as those ssociations you mentioned, & Circle C mentioned ones that are on board with LSWDA, National Lacy Dog Association is one that has been with LSWDA since it was founded. You want to stick your neck out and point fingers, how many fingers are pointing back at you?
GUESS what I personally have conatcted ten times the number of association representatives, PLUS its on AKC, UKC, and many other VERY busy Forums, not just in the Hog Dog world. Many LSWDA members have been very busy working onthis HB 2833, We do make contacts.

IT was also mentioned you have to sign in LSWDA forum just as you do here on ETHD,
VERY WISE WORDS THERE! IF ONLY OTHERS would do so, rather than playing political games games as if they are up re-election themselves! ;)

Sounds like you have that conspiracy theory  of secret missions going on in your head I have heard from a few others that have been drinking that same Koolaid ;)

I guess I need to get back on Facebook lol, I liked being out of the loop on all the BS from that site, but I guess I need it to get in the loop on the stuff that is important to me haha!

I agree Chris, I have no problem with LSWDA in any way. I am glad that it was formed to allow a more direct lobbying effort for dog hunters. I think that all dog hunters should be a member of TDHA, LSWDA and any other group they can find that is fighting for our rights.

I have supported HB 2833, TDHA has supported HB 2833, We will support anyone and any bill that helps dog hunters. I have asked some questions because I care about the outcome of this bill.

TDHA and LSWDA are not competing in any way. I understand the process in Austin very well and have some connections there that give me a little more in-site than most. Texas Politics is a rough and tumble affair where deals are made and rules are suspended at a whim. Time matters in Austin and there was no time to waste this session.

LSWDA does good work, as does TDHA, each has no real interest in the work of the other except when the Texas Legislature is in session. I still believe that there should be some official contact between the two groups during the legislative session so that each group can know what the other is working on and its status, and we can stop stepping on each others toes and avoid any misunderstandings.

Some good has come out of this thread I hope.

Thanks,
Paul T

TColt,
     I too like the idea of open forums, but I also understand the idea of having members groups to handle voting/financials/etc.   I am not sure if this is still the case, but TDHA has or had a members only forum for some time.  Now, I'll be the first to say that there could have been more posted on HB2833 on the LSWDA general board, I , along with other LSWDA members failed to keep it updated. However, as information came in, it was posted here on ETHD as well as on Facebook for all to see.

Here's a sincere question for you -    If you only have time to stay updated on ETHD and 1/2 time on TDHA, how would LSWDA being fully public help you to stay informed?    

As for the Facebook drama...  Sure, it's there. You just have to stay out of it. Somehow I have managed to keep my nose clean on FB thus far. ;D  I honestly think it's the best tool to date for getting the word out to people. Especially busy people.



I agree.

No conspiracy theory going on in my head, I was making a joke of why I dont see any reason the forum is not public lol, just a joke, and I dont drink koolaid  ;D.

I have time to get on ETHD the most because it is what I enjoy to do in my free time that I spend on the computer, I am a TDHA member and I dont spend much time on there either, maybe log on once a week at the most. I dont think I ever stated that i would join LSWD if this bill passed. If it came accross that way, I did not mean that because I probably wont join LSWD to be completely honest.

I am a student athlete so I dont have a ton of time on my hands to be super active, when I do get that chance to have alot of time for myself, I spend it in the woods, not on the computer. I dont read everything on ETHD by any means, I wish I had that kind of time to sit around but I dont. I try to be active as I can and I can promise you I will be much more active in the future since I am probably done with school for good. I was simply throwing out ideas to help make this more successful next session. Take it as something negative or positive, thats up to you.

My main goal is going to be to get in touch and speak with bird hunter/bird hunting associations and get them on our side, because we all know that is where the money is and money helps with power, and these bills effect them also. I am meeting with some guys, who do some bird planting/ dog training at a ranch that I hunt, next fall, I am also planning on meeting with the owner of First Ranch (owns cutting stud Cat's Murada) where they also run cattle on 2600 acres and use working dogs to see what kind of strings he can pull and people he can connect us with.

Im also woking on getting some future layers into working dogs and showing them what its all about and explaining to them how certain bills effect us who have working dogs. Some of these layers will be living and working in Austin during next session and are already on board to help get something passed in our favor next session. Im not as inactive as you may think and Im probably the most active 22 year old on any of these forums.

Remember, "its not what you know, its who you know"

To be completely honest, since I got outside opinions about this bill I found it hopeless for this year, so have focused my time on making connections for the future and will continue to do so. If there is somthing specific that I can do please feel free to message me on here or call/text me at 817-694-5501

CircleC- Making it public would make it easier because then when someone posts a link on here to LSWD I can just click on it and read what I need to read. That is what I do with TDHA, Im mostly a member on the TDHA forum because I am a member of TDHA. I should get on TDHA more to keep myself more updated, just hard to remember, especially when I get caught up in the fun stuff on this site.

Speaking of which, im not sure if it got over looked or I just didnt see the response. But I made a suggestion earlier about, during session, moving the Laws and Bills section of this forum to the top so that it is the first thing you see on here when you sign in. I get on and you cant even see Laws and Bills when you open the forums page without scrolling down. I think it would just help people remember to read this stuff and be active if it was the first thing they saw when they logged in. What do yall think?

We did something similar, left it as a sticky in the Hogs on Dogs , Hog Dogs, and General Discussion for a day or more to raise attention.

   It's hard to say what works on this site.   I can tell you that of 6 boards in the Hogs&Dogs section, I only visit 3, the other 3 I have not even opened in months. Same for 2 of the 3 boards on the bottom of the page.  I don't think board placement really effects participation, but that's just my personal experience.  For the most part, the people that are "involved" will look at the boards they are interested in, regardless of placement.

  Same deal with Stickys. they get some attention when first placed as a sticky, but after a couple of visits, they get ignored.

I don't know the answer, but I am willing to try with some duplicate posts to see which ones get more views/ replies. Heck, we can possibly even experiment with duplicate boards, with one at the top of the page and another in the original position. 

All that said, this site has 3277 members.  TDHA and LSWDA probably don't have 500 combined, and less than 50 regulars. The real ticket, as you touched on earlier, is to get the larger organizations involved.

Just heard from the lobbyist and this is his report.  He told me yesterday that the State Capitol had a nuclear meltdown in the political world and that many things were at a stand still.  Not just HB 2833, but MAN MANY other bills.

Here's his report:

He is working on a few more angles but with Austin at a standoff, it's not looking good.

That's fine. Hopefully 1451 will be another bill that will be dead as well. That would buy us more time until next session to get our guns lined out, work some fund raisers, and flood Austin with our voices. I would personally like to meet with my senator in person (likely with one of my dogs), but I can't do that until he is back in his office here.

I'm not looking at this as a failure, but as a warm up. Now we know exactly what needs to be done and the time frame to do it in.

Cheers
M

Mandi I agree with you!

 Lance (the author) will/should soon be home and we can all support him and THANK HIM for taking the time and intiative to be brave enough to take this step forward and looking out for representing us all when writing it in the first place! (and thank him for also risking hios life in the name of freedom for all of us)
We can raise funds and more support to be able to work side by side with Lance and have this bill ready for next session, and all be a little more seasoned in our efforts to follow up the next round!

Mandi and Krystal, you 2 hit the nail on the head!!  This is by far any kind of failure.  Failure is when you don't try at all.  We are a lot wiser to the legislative circles and protocol now and we will be ready for the next one in 2 years!!!  

"Never let the fear of striking out get in your way." - Babe Ruth

WATCH OUT AUSTIN!!!

I have tried to also stay out of this, but I just don't understand your quoted post above, when you unashamedly dogged HB 2833 in your previous quoted post below.


It really seems like a blatant and obvious contradiction. Quite honestly, as a member of the TDHA and a board member of the LSWDA, I am concerned with this.

Richard, That was what I was told by everyone I talked to in Austin. The bill in the form it was filled had zero chance of passing. A committee substitute was going to be needed if it got to committee. It got to committee and a substitute was offered with some changes, the substitute was withdrawn because it also had some problems. Now there is another committee substitute with changed language that may or may not be able to get out of committee, and make it through calendars to the floor. Then the whole process again in the Senate, the Senate is tougher than the House. You (we) ran out of time because the language was not proper to begin with.

I hope y'all see why I was so concerned with the language being as perfect as it could be early on, before it was even sponsored by Mr. White. Bills with language problems like this get hung up and can't move fast, or can't move at all. Everyone in Austin has expected the Capitol to lock down about now, they have been telling me that was going to happen the first week of the session. So it not a surprise. That is why the push to get it right the first time.

I was concerned that many were sitting on their hands regarding calling about other legislation because they thought 2833 was as good as law and would save us from the bad bills.


Being a supporter to me means making the calls in support of a bill and voicing opinions on the language and possible pit falls that the bill might face. I voiced my concerns to Lance and JLS early on in private, it seams as if my warnings fell on deaf ears.

It seams that some are mad at me for bringing up the problems with wording and the warning that these problems would keep 2833 from getting out of committee in time. What I was afraid would happen has happened. I just wish the language would have been fixed early and we might now be working this bill through the Senate.

Don't shoot the messenger for trying to talk straight and to the point. I thought the goal was to get this bill passed.

If there is one thing that LSWDA has learned through this legislative process and session it is that there is no such thing as perfect language.  Someone will have issues with what is written in a proposed bill.  Also, no bill will skirt going through LegCouncil and be rewritten.  Their job is to make sure that a judge can read and enforce it, that it isn't unconstitutional, and that it does not contradict another law on the books.  All bills that are introduced get rewritten.  HB 2833's language was not that far off.  Our only fault would be that we got started late in this session.  But at least Lance and LSWDA made the attempt to be proactive and DO something to help working dogs and their owners in this legislative session instead of being consumed with a reactive stance and playing whack-a-mole with every anti-led legislation that came through this session.

It is amazing, if you stop and really think about it, that in it's FIRST year, what LSWDA has accomplished!!  We learned a tremendous amount in this journey and we will be ready for the next legislative session.  We have made some good allies and look forward to making more.  We can only grow from here!

Thanks goes to everyone that supported us in one way or another this first year.  We all did something pretty darn cool together!!  Let's get ready for the 83rd legislative session and do something amazing!!

I agree with jls41. Thanks to everyone who had in hand in creating and supporting HB 2833.Although it may not move to the senate,  I do not see it as a failure, but rather as a demonstration of what can happen, when individuals and an organization step up and “Walk the Talk” and not just rally everyone up only to fizzle out. Win or lose, when it comes to our rights with working dogs, I will fight to the end and I want to stand behind an organization that is willing to do the same.
 
If you have been hesitant to become actively involved or at least join an organization to show support in numbers because you are uncertain that it will have an impact, then this should be all the proof you need.

In less than a year Lance Falzone and the LSWDA with the support from many others, were able to get a bill sponsored that was worded to directly impact working dog owners in a positive way and keep us from having to comply with more restrictive and outright negative “pet bill” legislation.

You can be bet the LSWDA will come out swinging in the 83rd legislative session. I encourage everyone who is not a member to join up and stand with us. Point blank, the LSWDA has enough “stay” and “drive” to get things done and see it to the end.

Sign up here.
 
http://www.lswda.org/

Scroll down and on the left hand side you will see LSWDA Membership. There is a "yearly" or "lifetime" membership.