SB 250 Update
SB 250 Update May 13, 2009
At the last minute, during the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Monday, Senator Kehoe allowed testimony on SB 250, the new spay/neuter bill.
Six of us from the pro pet anti SB 250 forces were their and ready waiting for the bill to be heard. Mark Hennelly, California Outdoor Heritage Alliance, Gail Burnham (AKC judge), Frank Welty (California Council for the Blind), Chuck Bridges, (ChowChow Club, Diane Amble (We The People Pets), and myself.
The committee met for about an hour then broke for a floor session.
The rumor at that time was the bill would go directly to the suspence file without testimony.
When the committee reconvened and called the bill, Senator Kehoe asked if there were anyone in support who wanted to testify. No one stood up, she then asked for opposition testimony. After our we spoke , the bill was placed on the suspense file until the end of the month.
Read Bill’s Testimony .
OK! So what happens now?
The suspense file is a kind of purgatory for legislation that will cost the state money. Any bill that may have mandated state costs could end up in suspense until the legislative leadership decides which bills should be brought out and to the floor. This is an arbitrary decision. Usually, authors whose bills are sitting in suspense, will be asked, for instance, “You may have, just one bill. The rest will die, so decided which bill do you really want saved.”
The leadership, which is the Majority Party leaders and the Minority Party leaders will then decide which to save, which to kill.
On the day the Suspense Calendar is heard, a list is posted showing the bills to move on to the floor. All the rest, not listed, fade away into oblivion.
What will happen with SB 250 is still a mystery. Senator Florez being the Majority Leader, could get his bill out of suspense, but which one or two? If he were smart,??? He would use the suspense file as his “out” from under SB 250, because it is going to follow him into his campaign.
In today’s down economy, with a massive budget deficit looming, and if as expected, all of the ballot propositions go down to defeat, the state will be in dire straights. If anything survives it will be a miracle.
My experience leads me to believe that SB 250 will surface again at the end of the month and go on to the Senate Floor. Pet PAC will continue the fight
