HF 2416 (LSB 5255HV (2) 86)

HOUSE FILE 2416

BY  COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE

(SUCCESSOR TO HSB 560)

(COMPANION TO LSB 1192SW BY COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to commercial establishments keeping nonagricultural animals, by establishing a quality assurance council and providing for a quality assurance certificate awarded to selected commercial breeders.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  162.9  Commercial breeders —— quality assurance council and certificate.
   1.  A quality assurance council is established within the department. The council shall be composed of one member appointed by the secretary of agriculture who has an interest in the welfare of dogs and cats, one member appointed by the Iowa voters for companion animals, and one member appointed by the Iowa pet breeders association. A member shall serve for a term of two years, except the initial members shall serve staggered terms as designated by the secretary of agriculture. The members may elect a chairperson and adopt rules of procedure. A member is not entitled to receive a per diem as specified in section 7E.6 and is not entitled to be reimbursed for actual or necessary expenses incurred in the performance of the member’s duties.
   2.  The council shall review applications submitted by commercial breeders who seek to receive a quality assurance certificate denoting the breeder as one of the leading commercial breeders in this state. The council shall award quality assurance certificates to those applicants who have demonstrated a long history of caring for dogs or cats in a manner that consistently exceeds the standard of care required in this chapter and the Animal Welfare Act.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with

the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill establishes a quality assurance council within the department of agriculture and land stewardship. The council is to be composed of one member appointed by the secretary of agriculture, one member appointed by the Iowa voters for companion animals, and one member appointed by the Iowa pet breeders association. The purpose of the council is to review applications submitted by commercial breeders of dogs or cats who seek to receive a quality assurance certificate denoting the applicant as one of the leading commercial breeders in this state. The council is to award quality assurance certificates to those applicants who have demonstrated a long history of caring for dogs or cats in a manner that consistently exceeds the standard of care required under state and federal law. A commercial breeder is a person engaged in the business of breeding dogs or cats and who transfers, or offers to transfer, dogs or cats to another person in return for consideration.