Yesterday's Judiciary meeting

We took up the Interim Study Proposal on the failed animal cruelty bill yesterday at the Capitol in the Joint Committee on Judiciary. Eva Madison, Fayetteville attorney and Sen. Sue Madison’s daughter, explained revisions made to the proposal, which include exemptions for humanely killing a dog, cat or horse that is suffering from an incurable or untreatable condition. It's pretty evident that the bill's fate depends on its House committee assignment. I'm not sure it could get through House Judiciary, and it'd be deader than a doornail in Ag. Here are articles from yesterday's meeting:

Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Arkansas News Bureau
Associated Press

I'm for the legislation, but while many declare that the public support for such a bill is there, that's simply not the case unless something has changed. We're a state entrenched in agriculture and outdoors, and an initiated act to create a felony provision for animal cruelty that went before voters in 2002 failed with 62% opposing it (it was favored in my district, but the statewide vote was 281,298 for, 462,440 against).