The Scorecard 2023-2024

Mass. Legislative Scorecard 2023-2024 (sponsorship of bills)

Legislators can co-sponsor new legislation at the beginning of the session. This spreadsheet is meant to assist you in learning a bit about your state legislators, through their sponsorship or co-sponsorship on select animal-related bills and amendments this year. We will add votes and other information once more actions occur in the legislature. The chart and explanation should be helpful; however, it does have limitations. It doesn’t reflect past actions a legislator may have taken to help or harm animals. It also is only using measurement we can measure — such as sponsor/co-sponsorship — which won’t give a clear indication on where a legislator stands on many issues or other actions he or she has taken.

We also were unable to include every helpful or harmful animal-related bill. Also, people in certain leadership positions rarely sponsor or co-sponsor bills. Therefore, as always, we encourage you to meet with your legislators (in either the State House or district office), write to them, and ask about positions on specific animal issues. If your legislators have been supportive of animal issues, please take a few minutes to thank them.

KEY:

EXPLANATION OF SCORECARD ACTIONS

EXPLANATION OF CO-SPONSORSHIP OF BILLS

Legislators can co-sponsor new legislation at the beginning of the session. If a bill is late-filed, they can also co-sponsor a bill at the time it is filed. The bills below were filed during the 2023-2024 session.

S. 2908: An Act relative to the humane protection of animals
This bill was re-drafted in the Judiciary Committee. As re-drafted, it would prevent the sale of animals under 8 weeks and prevent the roadside sale of animals.

• Sponsors: Senator John Velis; Representatives Ted Philips and Jessica Giannino
• Status: Passed the Senate on July 29, 2024 (formerly S. 2757). In House Committee on Bills in the Third Reading.
• Read more

H. 4919: An Act relative to Kennel Safety — Ollie’s Law
Massachusetts currently has no state oversight of doggie daycare or boarding kennels. This legislation would require reasonable rules and regulations of these facilities, such as specifications on staff to dog ratios, group sizes and supervision, minimum housing and care requirements, indoor and outdoor physical facility requirements, dog handling, and insurance. Many families in Massachusetts have suffered the loss or injury of a companion animal at a doggie daycare or kennel—tragedies that could be avoided by commonsense oversight of these facilities.

• Sponsors: Senator Mark Montigny and Representative Brian Ashe
• Status:
• Status: Passed the House on July 25, 2024. Passed the Senate with an amendment on July 31. House concurred on September 12. Signed into law by Governor Healey on September 20, 2024. Read the transcript from the House and Senate floor.
• Read more

S. 2820: An Act banning the retail sale of cats and dogs in new pet shops
This legislation would prohibit the sale of puppies, kittens, and rabbits in pet shops unless the animals are from shelters or rescue organizations. Typically, pet shops instead obtain animals from substandard breeding facilities, which results in consumers unknowingly purchasing sick or genetically-compromised pets. Massachusetts state records consistently document such complaints from across the Commonwealth. State and federal records have also demonstrated that puppies from the worst “puppy mills” in the country have been sold to Massachusetts consumers via pet shops. This bill thus protects both animals and consumers, while having no impact on responsible breeders.

• Sponsors:  Senator Patrick O’Connor and Representative Natalie Higgins
• Status: Released favorably from Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. Referred to Senate Committee on Ways and Means.
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H. 4915: An Act relative to the use of elephants, big cats, primates, giraffes, and bears in traveling exhibits and shows
This bill prohibits the use of elephants, big cats, primates, bears, and giraffes in traveling shows in Massachusetts. These shows—using dangerous animals—are not only detrimental to animal welfare, but also present a public safety risk. Such traveling shows subject highly intelligent, social animals to coercive and abusive treatment and near-constant travel where they are deprived of exercise and the ability to express their most basic, natural behaviors, all while simultaneously putting the public at risk of both disease and injury.

• Sponsors: Senators Bruce Tarr and Adam Gomez; Representatives Carole Fiola and Bradley Jones
• Status: Passed the House on July 25, 2024. Passed the Senate on July 31, 2024. Signed into law by Governor Healey. Read the transcript from the House and Senate floor.
• Read more

S. 876/H. 1367: An Act to maintain stable housing for families with pets in an economic crisis and beyond
This legislation ensures that certain types of housing agreements (such as condo bylaws, some leases, etc.), as well as public housing authorities, cannot discriminate against, or include language that limits, a tenant or resident’s ability to live in that type of housing based on the size, weight, or perceived breed of a dog owned by a tenant/resident. It also prevents insurance companies from discriminating based on dog breed.

• Sponsors: Senator Anne Gobi; Representatives Dave Rogers and Sam Montaño.
• Status:
• Status: S. 876 reported favorably by committee and referred to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. H. 1367 reported favorably by committee and referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
• Read more

H. 850: An Act promoting humane cosmetics and other household products by limiting the use of animal testing
This legislation requires the use of non-animal test methods when available. Alternatives provide information of equivalent or superior quality and relevance to humans in comparison to animal tests. This bill applies to products such as cosmetics, household cleaners, and industrial chemicals, like those in paint; it does not apply to testing done for medical research, including testing of drugs or medical devices.

• Sponsors: Senator Mark Montigny and Representative Jack Patrick Lewis
• Status: Reported favorably from the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources; in House Committee on Ways and Means.
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H. 825: An Act relative to pesticides
This bill requires digitization of pesticide use forms for better monitoring of the use of Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs), and requires the increased use of Integrated Pest Management strategies in Massachusetts.

• Sponsors: Senator Paul Feeney and Representative Jim Hawkins
• Status: Reported favorably from Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means on September 7, 2023.
• Read more

H. 4911: An Act relative to animal welfare and reporting of animal cruelty, abuse or neglect
This bill will prevent the Department of Children and Families from using breed as a factor to determine whether a family can adopt or foster children. It also will remove timing restrictions in the statutes that allow employees and contractors of human services agencies to report suspected animal cruelty. Currently, the timeframe for this reporting has been interpreted to apply only to the 10-day investigation period. This bill will ensure that suspected animal cruelty can be reported at any time the employee or contractor suspects it.

• Sponsors: Senator Adam Gomez and Representative Jack Patrick Lewis
• Status: Passed the House on July 25, 2024. Passed the Senate on September 26, 2024. On Governor’s desk. Read the transcript from the House and Senate floor.
• Read more

S. 590/H. 849: An Act prohibiting the sale of fur products
This legislation would prohibit the sale of new fur products in Massachusetts. Horrific animal cruelty is involved in making fur products. On fur factory farms, wild animals spend their entire lives in cramped cages, deprived of the ability to engage in natural behaviors. The stress from living in a tiny cage causes serious welfare problems, such as self-mutilation and infected wounds, and can increase pathogen shedding and the risk of zoonotic disease transmission, such as COVID-19.

• Sponsors: Senator John Velis and Representative Jack Patrick Lewis
• Status: Referred to Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. Accompanied study order.
• Read more

S. 1076/H. 1703: Protecting animals from convicted animal abusers
This legislation would prohibit a person who is convicted of animal cruelty from owning or possessing an animal for a period of time determined by the court. It also would enable additional monies to be directed to the Massachusetts Animal Fund for the purpose of spaying/neutering and vaccinating homeless dogs and cats or those who live with low-income families.

• Sponsors: Senator Mike Moore; Representatives Tram Nguyen and Vanna Howard
• Status: Referred to the Joint Committee on Judiciary. Hearing held on April 4, 2023. Accompanied study order.
• Read more

S. 1059/H. 2102: An Act enhancing the issuance of citations for cruel conditions for animals  
This legislation expands upon current law, found in Ch. 140 sec. 174E, which allows citations to be issued when dogs are kept in cruel conditions. This legislation extends this protection to all domestic animals. Broadening the current statute’s scope in this way allows an effective response to problematic situations without escalating them prematurely.

• Sponsors: Senator Mark Montigny and Representative Angelo Puppolo
• Status: Referred to Joint Committee on the Judiciary (S. 1059); hearing held April 4, 2023. Referred to Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government (H. 2102); hearing September 26, 2023. Accompanied study order.
• Read more

Harmful Wildlife bills

Trapping Legislation 
A number of bills are filed each session that remove current restrictions on cruel body-gripping Conibear and leghold (sometimes called foot-hold traps) which are used to capture fur-bearing animals, such as beaver and coyote. These changes would effectively allow a return to the days of recreational trapping with these inhumane and indiscriminate devices, something that 64% of Massachusetts’ voters decried in 1996 when they voted in favor of a ballot initiative known as the Wildlife Protection Act.

• Sponsors: Senator Anne Gobi (S. 492) and Representative Paul Frost (H. 799)
• Status: Referred to Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. Accompanied study order.
• Read more

Sunday Hunting
A number of bills are filed each session that would allow for the removal of the statewide ban on Sunday hunting. 86% of Massachusetts’ residents want to maintain the ban on Sunday hunting while hunters represent just 1% of the Massachusetts population. Sunday hunting bills prioritize a small minority over an overwhelming majority of Massachusetts’ residents that do not hunt, yet enjoy non-consumptive uses of nature and wildlife.

• Sponsors: Representatives Paul Frost (H. 800), Kelly Pease (H. 877), William Straus (H. 911), Alyson Sullivan (H. 912)
• Status: Referred to the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. Accompanied study order.
• Read more

While not represented on the chart, click here to see legislators who supported the Mass. Animal Fund in the FY24 budget.