Lives are on the line. Please, act now!

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Governor Kelly Ayotte must hear from you immediately.

HB1766 is currently sitting on Governor Ayotte’s desk as a standalone bill. We need you to contact her immediately and urge her to veto HB1766.

In addition, today, we learned an incredibly troubling and reckless development that we need you to know about: Representatives, who are not acting in the best interest of their constituents (or the safety of animals), have begun to tack HB1766 onto various other non-germane pieces of legislation, including HB1128, HB474, and HB475. These bills will head to Governor Ayotte’s desk soon.

This tactic of burying dangerous legislation within unrelated bills is both disheartening and deliberate. It makes one thing clear: they will continue pushing this forward by any means necessary until it passes. All attempts at compromise have been ignored and it’s the animals who will pay the price.

In addition to urging Governor Ayotte to veto HB1766 as it currently sits on her desk, we must also call on her to veto HB1128, HB474, HB475 and any further legislation that includes the harmful language of HB1766.

Governor Kelly Ayotte:
(603) 271-2121 and (603) 271-7676
GovernorAyotte@governor.nh.gov
Click here for language you can use.

She needs to hear from you that:

  1. Animals need trained humane professionals involved in cruelty cases
  2. Animals in crisis need safe, immediate placement options
  3. Compassion, not automatic criminalization, leads to better outcomes for both people and animals

Time is critical and the animals need you. Please act now and share.

Why HB1766 should upset you:

  1. Cruelty investigations involving horses, ponies, bunnies and other companion farm animals would be stripped from humane societies and agents. Removing professionals with relevant training and experience will overwhelm municipalities, delay or prevent investigations, and leave animals suffering unseen, unheard and at risk of dying.
  2. This doesn’t impact just livestock… it puts all animals at risk. If livestock animals (including rabbits) are present on a property, HB1766 would prevent humane societies and humane agents from assisting in any investigation, including those involving dogs, cats, and other companions animals. That means fewer trained eyes on the scene, more missed warning signs, and more animals left to suffer.
  3. Even when humane experts are brought in, they may be barred from helping animals in crisis. If animals must be removed, the very humane societies involved in the case would be prohibited from housing them, even if they are the only safe option. Where are these animals supposed to go?
  4. Mandatory criminal charges will hurt the wrong people. This bill requires police to file cruelty charges in every seizure case. That means seniors, individuals struggling with mental illness, or people facing financial hardship could be criminalized instead of assisted.

Governor Kelly Ayotte needs to hear from you right now! Please call or email her and urge her to VETO HB1766, HB1128, HB474, HB475 and any other legislation that includes language from HB1766.