[nagdu] Florida: Bill To Protect Those Who Need Service Animals From Getting Dogged

[Ginger Kutsch]

Florida: Bill To Protect Those Who Need Service Animals From Getting Dogged 

By Regan McCarthy . Mar 20, 2015  

Source:
http://news.wfsu.org/post/bill-protect-those-who-need-service-animals-gettin
g-dogged

 

The sight of a dog lying under the table in an upscale restaurant might
result in a double take. Onlookers might scan the animal's human companion
for signs a disability. And it's when those disabilities aren't readily
apparent that trouble can sometimes arise. A bill moving through the Florida
House seeks to protect those with invisible disabilities.

Cesar Silva is a combat veteran who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder along with physical disabilities that he says most people wouldn't
know about.

 

"People don't know that I have shrapnel in my back. My spine is messed up
and I have various invisible disabilities," Silva says.

 

Silva says that can lead to people questioning him about why his service
animal, a German Shepard named Sophia, is with him.

 

Silva says he's had trouble with people who harass him for having his
service animal in public spaces. He's been asked to leave class and work
because of his service animal. And he says when he's asked police officers
to step in, he's been told his best option is to pursue the matter civilly.
And Disability Rights Florida board member Heather Hawk says those are the
reasons her organization is supporting a measure that would help protect
those who need service animals.

 

"It's kind of scary when you go into a business and you're always wondering
you know, I don't look like a person with a disability. How much of a hassle
am I going to get today? Am I going to be forced to leave? So, it really
impacts our lives and it can be a struggle," Hawk says.

 

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Jimmie Smith (R-Inverness).

 

"HB 71 will designate that service animals are to be dogs and miniature
horses, allow businesses the tools they need to have a clear understanding
of their rights and lastly will create a penalty for those who misrepresent
the need to use a service animal," Smith says.

 

During a House State Affairs Committee Smith thanked Silva for both his
service and his willingness to share his story.

 

"This is a great day when you have veterans with PTSD who are willing to
come and get past that issue to let you know how this is important to them
and how this is going to affect their future. We often talk about helping
people - you've just been given an example, a wonderful example of what we
are going to do to help our veterans," Smith says.

 

Smith filed a similar bill last year requiring public accommodations to
permit the use of service animals, but the measure got pushback from groups
that raised concerns about people without disabilities claiming a pet is a
service animal. Smith says his bill seeks to combat that problem. Under the
measure anyone who falsely claims to be training or have a disability
requiring a service animal faces a second degree misdemeanor. That person
would also be required to spend 30 hours helping an organization that serves
people with disabilities.

 

 

Tags: 

 

 

service animals,

 

Jimmie Smith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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