LANSING – Without discussion or debate, the state Senate gave final passage Thursday evening to a pair of bills that prohibit communities from passing ordinances to regulate pet shops in their towns.
The bills — HB 5916 and 5917 — passed on mostly party-line votes of 23-14, with Republicans supporting them and Democrats opposed. They would put new pet shop rules in place and prevent a county, city, village or township from banning them.
Supporters say the proposal would make it more difficult for stores to buy pups from puppy mills. Critics, however, are worried that cities would lose the ability to keep tabs on the shops, and that the bills would actually make it easier for pet stores to get animals from unscrupulous breeders.
"It’s our position, the Humane Society of Huron Valley, that it would be stripping local law enforcement of any type of regulation, investigation or inspection (power)" over pet shops, said Melinda Szabelski, supervisor of the society's animal cruelty and rescue department.
Sponsor Rep. Hank Vaupel, R-Fowlerville, a retired veterinarian, said the proposal would simply tighten existing pet shop regulations. For instance, it would require puppies to be microchipped and prohibit pet shops from buying them from large-scale breeders that are not licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The House narrowly passed the bills on Nov. 29 on votes of 57-52.
"This ... makes it so it is virtually impossible for them to get them from a puppy mill," Vaupel said.
The legislation would also prohibit municipalities from "arbitrarily" banning pet shops in local business districts.
That section has prompted concerns that cities or counties wouldn't be able to regulate pet shops, a job that officially falls under the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development but in reality is handled, if at all, by local animal control departments.
Under current state law, the department of agriculture is responsible for regularly inspecting and licensing pet shops. But the agency stopped those activities in 2009 because of budget constraints, said Dr. James Averill, deputy director of the agency. Today, the department mainly just investigates when there are reports of animals sick with certain diseases, such as rabies.
The bills were the latest examples of Republicans in the Legislature voting to weaken local communities' ability to regulate businesses in their communities. Other bills passed by the Senate on Thursday were a package that prohibits cities, counties, townships and villages from enacting licensing requirements on certain occupations and another bill would ban towns from instituting a grading system for restaurants in their towns.
The pet shop bills now move to Gov. Rick Snyder to either sign or veto.
Contact Kathleen Gray: 313-223-4430, kgray99@freepress.com or on Twitter @michpoligal.
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