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17 RS BR 990

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION establishing the Shelter Oversight and Pet
Overpopulation Task Force.

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WHEREAS, Kentucky has 90 counties with animal shelters; and

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WHEREAS, each of the 120 counties of the Commonwealth is required by statute

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to have an animal control officer; and

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WHEREAS, since 2004, Kentucky has had minimum statutory standards for county

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animal shelters and requires each county to have a shelter or contract with an organization

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to provide shelter services; and

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WHEREAS, a recent study conducted by the University of Kentucky Diagnostic

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Laboratory on all county animal shelters found approximately 49 percent of those shelters

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to be out of compliance with state law governing shelters; and

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WHEREAS, a lack of access to and relatively high cost of spay and neuter surgery

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inhibits control over pet overpopulation, and state and local governments are fiscally

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constrained from using taxpayer funds for spay and neuter programs; and

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NOW, THEREFORE,

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Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of

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Kentucky, the House of Representatives concurring therein:

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Section 1. The Shelter Oversight and Pet Overpopulation Task Force is hereby
created. The task force shall:
(1)

Review and develop findings and recommendations to address problems faced

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by county shelters, including adequacy of facilities, funding, and pet

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overpopulation in the Commonwealth;

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(2)

Formulate standards and processes for improved regulation of shelters; and

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(3)

Identify ways to expand funding for shelters and for programs to offer spay

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and neuter clinic across the Commonwealth.

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Section 2. The task force shall have seven members, with the final membership

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subject to the approval of the Legislative Research Commission. The membership shall
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be as follows:

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(1)

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17 RS BR 990

Two members of the Senate, one of whom shall serve as task force co-chair,
to be appointed by the President of the Senate;

(2)

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Two members of the House of Representatives, one of whom shall serve as
task force co-chair, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House;

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(3)

The Kentucky State Veterinarian;

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(4)

The chair of the Animal Control Advisory Board; and

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(5)

One member representing the Kentucky Association of Counties.

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Section 3. The task force shall meet in Frankfort at least three times during the

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2017 Interim. The task force shall make a report of its activity, including any findings and

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recommendations agreed upon by the task force, to the Legislative Research Commission

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and to the Interim Joint Committee on Agriculture by December 1, 2017.

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Section 4.

Provisions of this concurrent resolution notwithstanding, the

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Legislative Research Commission shall have the authority to alternatively assign the

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issues identified herein to an interim joint committee or subcommittee thereof and to

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designate a study completion date.

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