THE MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL ONE COMMON BOND - THE HORSE • ONE COMMON VOICE - MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL


MHC Wraps Up Another Legislative Session


by Crystal Pickett In April, the Maryland General Assembly adjourned its 439th Session.


Sit with that for a moment. T e General Assembly, in its regular once- a-year sessions and occasional special sessions, has met 439 times since it fi rst met at St. Mary’s City on February 26, 1635. T e Maryland Gen- eral Assembly fi rst met more than 140 years before the United States of America was founded. One of the core missions of the Maryland Horse Council is to repre- sent the interests of the equestrian community to the legislators. Dur- ing the session, MHC’s Legislative Committee meets weekly in a phone conference to discuss newly introduced bills that might be of particular interest to the equestrian community. If the committee decides a bill will have impact on the equestrian community, the committee will seek to more fully understand the pros and cons of the bill through research, outreach to segments of the community that might be particularly aff ect- ed, and other means. T e committee will also try to anticipate the “un- intended consequences” of seemingly well-intended bills. T e commit- tee will endeavor to use MHC’s existing general policy positions, combined with their interpreta- tion of the potential impact to our community, to shape MHC’s position on a specifi c bill. When fi nances allow, MHC re- tains the assistance of a lobbyist, either to work on a specifi c issue or to assist MHC with the entire session. When fi nances do not allow, then MHC relies on mo- tivated horse-people to grassroots lobby.


439th Session Report In our weekly conference calls, we evaluated over 60 bills that could


have an eff ect on horse people, their farms, businesses and even their pets. We testifi ed at hearings, submitted written testimony on other bills, and took positions without written testimony on others. Our grassroots army was a force, and legislators noticed. Maryland’s equestrian com- munity benefi ted particularly from MHC past president Jane Seigler’s, and committee members Joanne Stone’s and Christy Clagett’s dedica- tion and persistence, not to mention willingness and ability to physically spend numerous days in Annapolis each week during session, testifying and meeting with legislators on our behalf. On occasion, they were also joined in Annapolis by rank and fi le MHC members willing to come and testify - probably the most eff ective lobbying tool there is. Below are some of the bills that were passed and are either waiting for the Governor’s signature (or veto) or have already been signed into law.


For information on bills which stalled, died or were killed this session, please see the archives of equiery.com and mdhorsecouncil.org


Animal Welfare T e 2019 crop of animal welfare bills touched on seizure requirements,


T e Maryland Horse Council and T e Equi- ery salute Speaker Michael Busch on a dis- tinguished career of service to the state of Maryland. He was a supportive leader and a conscientious lawmaker. Speaker Busch was fi rst elected in 1987 and had served as Speaker since 2003. He was the longest serving Mary- land Speaker of all time. His dedication to the state was unparalleled and his legacy lives in his many achievements. May he rest in peace. January 4, 1947 – April 7, 2019


cost of care of seized animals, and animal abuse registries. MHC moni- tors these bills to ensure that the best interests of the animals are para- mount (as opposed to the interests of those humans or entities that may be responsible for their care either before or after seizure) while ensur- ing that constitutional rights of animal owners to due process are not violated (i.e. that owners are not eff ectively treated as guilty before a fair trial convicts them of being guilty). MHC works with members of the Maryland States Attorneys Association as well as representatives of humane organizations to fi nd common ground and workable solutions on these bills. We testifi ed against the cross-fi led HB 135/SB 152 as many of its proposed provisions, no matter how well-intended, violated constitutional rights. T e legislators agreed, gutted the initial bills, and amended them such that they merely gave the judges clearer expressed permission to order a convicted owner to pay restitution for the costs of caring for the animals as the case pended. MHC support- ed the amended version, which passed both houses and is await- ing the Governor’s signature.


Ag & Farm Bills Horse farm owners are one of


Maryland’s largest landholding industries; MHC monitors legis- lation that aff ects this vital aspect


of our equestrian community. We supported the following bills (or sup- ported amended versions) which passed: • HB 331/SB 133 Farm Vehicles Registration and Authorized Use: T is bill makes permanent the expanded travel radius for K-tags (a.k.a. Farm Tags) to 25 miles. • HB 904/SB 546 Agriculture Nutrient Management Monitoring/En- forcement: T is was a sweeping bill intended to aff ect three diff erent ar- eas of Maryland’s existing Nutrient Management law, which requires any farmers with a certain number of “animal units” or a certain amount of annual revenue to fi le a Nutrient Management Plan. T e bill was heavily amended before passage to more specifi cally address those farmers with a larger impact on water quality but who more overtly refuse to comply. Of particular note for horse farmers are new or increased fi nes for failure to comply with certain requirements of existing law, such as failure to have a Nutrient Management Plan or failure to fi le annual reports. T e bill also requires farmers who receive manure from other farms to report continued...


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mdhorsecouncil.org • (844)MDHORSE www.equiery.com | 800-244-9580 MAY 2019 | THE EQUIERY | 7


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