[nagdu] Fw: Proposed Act Regarding Service Dogs from the state of Maine.

Mon Mar 2 14:24:44 UTC 2015

Marianne,

	If this is the case, the exemption from paying a tax is not a civil right; rather, it is a eax concession for which the jurisdiction has the right to require documentation as a condition of granting the concession.

Marion Gwizdala

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Marianne Denning via nagdu
Sent: Sunday, March 01, 2015 6:50 PM
To: Sherry Gomes; NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Fw: Proposed Act Regarding Service Dogs from the state of Maine.

I did a little research and here is what I think is going on here.
Many states require everyone to purchase a yearly tag to own a dog.
Many states allow people who own service dogs to register them as a service animal and there is no annual fee involved.  It is not mandatory that anyone register a service animal as such, but if you do not, then you need to pay for the dog tag every year.  If you want to register your dog in the state of Maine as a service animal and avoid paying the annual tag fee then you must have proof it is a service animal.  No one can just claim it as such.  If this is the case, then I don't have a problem with the proposed change to the law. I think we need to gather more information before we react to this proposed change.  If I am wrong then I will also be against this legislation.

On 3/1/15, Sherry Gomes via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I got this off another list. Another state trying to diminish our rights.
>
> Below is the text of a bill that is being presented to the state of 
> Maine legislature in the near future.  Again, this is very concerning, 
> much like the recent Arizona bill that failed.  If states keep 
> presenting bill’s such as these, I’m afraid one will get passed and 
> negatively impact the rights of legitimate service dog teams.
>
>
>
> 127th MAINE LEGISLATURE
>
> FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2015
>
> Legislative Document No. 547
>
> H.P.
>
> 371 House of Representatives, February 26, 2015
>
> An Act Regarding Service Dogs
>
> Reference to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry 
> suggested and
>
> ordered printed.
>
> 49
>
> ROBERT B. HUNT
>
> Clerk
>
> Presented by Representative CAMPBELL of Orrington. (BY REQUEST)
>
> Cosponsored by Senator SAVIELLO of Franklin and
>
> Representatives: DOORE of Augusta, LAJOIE of Lewiston, MAKER of 
> Calais, NADEAU of
>
> Winslow, STANLEY of Medway, TUELL of East Machias.
>
> Printed on recycled paper
>
>
>
> table with 2 columns and 33 rows
>
> 1
>
> Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
>
> 2
>
> Sec. 1. 7 MRSA §3922, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2007, c. 664, §11, is 
> further
>
>
> 3
>
> amended to read:
>
> 4
>
> 4. Service dogs. If a service dog has not been previously registered 
> or licensed by
>
>
>
> the municipal clerk to whom the application is being made, the clerk 
> may not register the
>
> 6
>
> dog nor issue to its owner or keeper a license and tag that identifies 
> the dog as a service
>
> 7
>
> dog unless the applicant presents written evidence to the municipal 
> clerk that the dog
>
> 8
>
> meets the definition of "service dog." For the purpose of this 
> subsection "written
>
> 9
>
> evidence" means a service dog certification form approved by the 
> department in
>
>
>
> consultation with the Maine Human Rights Commission. The service dog 
> certification
>
> 11
>
> form must include a letter signed by a physician, psychologist, 
> physician assistant or
>
> 12
>
> nurse practitioner indicating that the owner or keeper or a member of 
> the owner's or
>
> 13
>
> keeper's household requires the service dog and a certification or 
> other document
>
> 14
>
> indicating that the service dog has completed training from an 
> established service animal
>
>
>
> training organization or has been evaluated by a certified animal 
> trainer and found to have
>
> 16
>
> a sound temperament suitable for a service dog.
>
> 17
>
> Sec. 2. 7 MRSA §3923-B, sub-§1-A is enacted to read:
>
> 18
>
> 1-A. Service dog registration tag. In accordance with subsection 1, 
> the department
>
> 19
>
> shall ensure that, with regard to the registration and licensing of a 
> service dog, the service
>
>
>
> dog's registration tag clearly indicates that the dog is a service 
> animal pursuant to Title 5,
>
> 21
>
> section 4553, subsection 9-E. The department shall devise a method of 
> ensuring that a
>
> 22
>
> service dog's registration tag is clearly visible to the public.
>
> 23
>
> SUMMARY
>
> 24
>
> This bill requires that an individual registering a service dog 
> present to the municipal
>
>
>
> clerk a letter signed by a physician, psychologist, physician 
> assistant or nurse practitioner
>
> 26
>
> indicating that the individual or a member of the individual's 
> household requires the
>
> 27
>
> service dog and a certification or other document indicating that the 
> service dog has
>
> 28
>
> completed training from an established service animal training 
> organization or has been
>
> 29
>
> evaluated by a certified animal trainer and found to have a sound 
> temperament suitable
>
>
>
> for a service dog. It also requires the Department of Agriculture, 
> Conservation and
>
> 31
>
> Forestry to ensure that the registration tag of a service dog clearly 
> indicates that the dog is
>
> 32
>
> a service animal and to devise a method of ensuring that a service 
> dog's registration tag is
>
> 33
>
> visible to the public.
>
> table end
>
>
>
> Page 1 -127LR0304(01)-1
>
>
>
>
>
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--
Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
Teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired
(513) 607-6053

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