Bill against Horse Tripping & Wild Horse Resolution PASSED
Just got back in and have photos to log but wanted to share this asap! I have not had a chance to read FINAL text (I will shortly) and submitted text revisions that I hope were taken to heart.
BUT this was in my inbox! THANK YOU to EVERYONE that sent emails, FAX’s and signed petitions! IT IS WONDERFUL to know that ALL of the hard work… can create some change!
Letter from Sen. Settlemeyer
Thank you for your concern with SB 72, the horse tripping bill, and SJR1 the resolution supporting wild horses. I wanted to update you on both.
The original SB 72 bill was, to say the least, flawed. In fact it was so bad, if a person was on a horse or just leading a horse and it lost its balance, that person would be guilty of a felony. The Chairman of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, Senator Ford, chose to not let this get in the way of the intent to stop individuals from intentionally tripping horses. He tasked the Hispanic Caucus representative, Assemblywoman Flores, and the ranchers on the committee, Senator Goicoechea and me, as well as legal staff, with the responsibility of fixing SB72.
That turned out to be no easy task. It took numerous rewrites and word-smithing in order to ensure we did not create legislation that would turn everyone who owns a horse into a felon as the original language did. Fortunately, that was accomplished and the bill was passed unanimously out of Senate Natural Resources today.
With this, I thank Senator Manendo for allowing the bill to be fixed. Otherwise this bill had no chance of passing. Now after numerous sessions of this bill not passing the legislature, this issue can finally be settled, and we can all turn to the pressing matters of the state. Senator Manendo will accomplish with this legislation what no author has been able to do in over a decade ofthis subject being in front of the legislature. Intentional horse tripping will be against the law.
On SJR 1 the bill was amended and unanimously passed out.
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