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Legislative Priorities for The Bond Between
At The Bond Between, our goal is to inspire change. So many organizations are constantly bailing out a quickly sinking boat, while not doing much to combat the root of the overpopulation and animal suffering problems. We understand that real change starts in collaboration with lawmakers. Bills that put checks and balances in place for animals in our home state of Minnesota and beyond. Bills that protect animals in our community. We partner with other animal and people wellbeing organizations to back bills that support the bond between people and animals.
Legislative bills we support
The Minnesota Humane Pet Store Bill
Public records show that most puppy-selling pet shops sell puppies from massive puppy mills with awful animal welfare records, where mother dogs are treated like breeding machines and puppies like mere products. No Minnesotan would knowingly support this cruelty.
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Passing SF 1943 would phase out the sale of puppy mill puppies in pet shops and require existing puppy stores to adhere to increased transparency and licensing requirements. Similar laws in other states have reduced the demand for puppy mill puppies and protected families from the heartbreak and financial devastation that often comes with buying a pet shop puppy.
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Tell Minnesota's senators that selling commercially raised dogs in pet stores is inhumane and supports puppy mills. SF 1943 will phase out the sale of puppy mill puppies in Minnesota pet stores and drive the pet market towards more humane sources like shelters, rescues and responsible breeders.
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To read more about this important bill, please visit this site.
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State bill numbers: S.F. 1943 (MN Senate) H.F. 2627 (MN House)
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​​The Minnesota Office of Animal Protections Bill
The Minnesota Office of Animal Protections (OAP) bill was introduced as a first step to providing better protection of animals and people. It establishes a state office dedicated to this mission.
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Animal cruelty requires the same high level of investigation and prosecution as any other crime. Currently, there is no state agency to assist local law enforcement, city or county prosecutors, veterinarians, animal care facilities, or others tasked with the job of enforcing animal law and protecting animals. As animal cruelty is a crime impacting public safety, this bill creates an Office of Animal Protection under the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, allowing for state policy and funding. The Office has the authority to create an advisory council with experts in animal cruelty, hire a skilled Director in criminal law, and hire additional staff to execute the duties in the chapter.
To read more about this important bill and sign the petition, please visit https://www.mnoap.org/
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State bill numbers: SF 1163 (MN Senate) / HF 1816 (MN House)
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Authors in Senate:
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Chief Author: Senator John Marty
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Co-Authors: Sen. Housley, Sen. Gustafson, Sen. Lang, Sen. Pappas
(limit for co-authors in the Senate is 5, including chief author)
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Authors in House:
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Chief Author: Representative Matt Norris
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Co-Authors: Rep. Berg, Rep. Rehrauer, Rep. Freiberg, Rep. Stephenson, Rep. Koegel, Rep. Jones, Rep. Gottfried, Rep. Kraft, Rep. Fischer
(number of co-authors is unlimited in the House)
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Dog and Cat Data Transparency Bill
A decade ago, Minnesota adopted legislation to provide oversight of large-scale commercial dog and cat breeders in response to public concerns about animal welfare. But a last-minute addition to the 2014 law classified nearly all dog and cat breeder data as non-public, restricting access to critical information the law was designed to collect and disseminate. The Dog and Cat Data Transparency Bill makes this data public and provides access to information on state-licensed breeders such as the number of animals, the nature and frequency of violations, and breeders with revoked licenses.
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To read more about this important bill, please visit https://www.animalhumanesociety.org/advocacy/dog-and-cat-data-transparency-bill
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Companion Animal Board Bill
The Companion Animal Board (CAB) bill was introduced with a goal of creating a state board with specific expertise and skills to lead and respond to issues pertaining to companion animal issues — including health, welfare, and well-being. The CAB would allow the State of Minnesota to more effectively plan for and respond to the health and welfare needs of companion animals and to the efforts of local communities, citizens, and organizations that care for these animals.
To read more about this important bill, please visit https://www.mncab.org.
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You can support this bill by signing this petition.​​​
What can you do to support these bills?
If you are looking for easy ways to get involved with protecting animals with policy, here are a few simple things you can do today to prepare for the legislative session in Minnesota. ​
Call your state representatives! Did you know that a single call from a constituent expressing their opinion on a bill could help a state senator or congress member vote to represent their district? Calling them really works! You can find our who your representatives are and how to contact them here.
Contact MN Governor Tim Walz! While bills must first be heard and approved by the Minnesota Legislature, the Minnesota Governor also sets his priorities. He announces what issues are of importance to him, which can guide priorities and funding. Make animal protection a priority with Minnesota lawmakers.