Representative Barbara Sears (R - Lucas County) has reintroduced a bill that would repeal the breed-specific law in the state of Ohio.
Ohio is the only state in the US that specifically targets individual breeds of dogs (14 states actually prohibit such laws) and under Ohio state law all 'pit bulls' are automatically declared to be dangerous dogs.
Sears proposed the same law in 2010 as HB 79. The law passed through the House of Representatives in a nearly unanimous vote as an amendment to HB 55 (an animal cruelty bill) but was never heard in the Senate. So, once again the bill is proposed, this time as HB 14.
Sears has worked her way up through the legislature and is now the Assistant Majority Floor Leader -- so she has a lot of clout in the House. However, the representatives in the state of Ohio need to hear from their constituents that HB 14 is LONG overdue and that the state's breed-specific laws need to be repealed. So if you are a resident of the state of Ohio, contact your state Representative and voice your support for HB 14 as introduced.
One of the best places to keep up with HB 14 and what you can do to help is through the great folks over at the Ohio Coalition of Dog Advocates -- or via their facebook page.
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