Two bills dealing with animal issues have made it out of state legislative committees. The next stop for both are the floors of the state House and Senate.
HB156 was unanimously approved by the House Boards, Agencies and Commissions Committee. Introduced by State Rep. Patricia Todd, D-Birmingham, the bill provides for an amendment to the state Veterinary Practice Law that would allow a veterinarian to work for a nonprofit spay/neuter not owned by another vet.
Last year, the Alabama Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners closed one of the state's four nonprofit low-cost spay/neuter clinics in Huntsville and threatened to close Alabama Spay/Neuter in Irondale. State board officials said the clinics were operating illegally because the vets who worked there were hired by a non-veterinarian. In the case of Alabama Spay/Neuter, the clinic is owned as a nonprofit entity by a Birmingham vet.
The other animal-related bill, SB 175, was approved by all but one member of the Senate judiciary committee. Sen. Marc Keahey, D-Grove Hill, voted against it. Introduced by State Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, the bill broadens the scope of criminal charges for individuals who sponsor cockfights as well as increases current fines and adds jail time for operators, participants and spectators.
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