[Njagdu] Next steps for Dusty's Law, protecting guide dog teams against attacks and interference
Vincent Chaney Jr.
vgc732 at optonline.net
Mon Mar 26 05:34:32 UTC 2012
To The NJAGDU Members,
This is a FYI. I have included a message from Ginger which I received
Sunday, March 25th and the one I sent on Wednesday to keep the history
together. I also forwarded the text to Joe with the request to send to all
on his NFBNJ email lists in New Jersey.
Vinny
From: Ginger Kutsch [mailto:GingerKutsch at yahoo.com]
Sent: Sunday, March 25, 2012 7:58 PM
To: 'Vincent Chaney Jr'
Subject: Next steps for Dusty's Law, protecting guide dog teams against
attacks and interference
Vinny & Lynn,
Assembly Bill 2728, Dusty's Law, has been referred to the Law and Public
Safety committee. It needs to be scheduled for a hearing before it can move
forward.
Please encourage members to call or send an email to their legislators to
ask that they support the bill, sign on to A2728 as a sponsor or co-sponsor,
and encourage the chair of the Law and Public Safety committee to schedule
A2728 for a hearing.
You can find Your Legislator at
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/districts/districtnumbers.asp
or call The Legislative Information and Bill Room at:
toll-free number 800-792-8630
(609) 292-4840
Thanks,
Ginger
From: Brian Mackey [mailto:bmackey88 at gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 6:17 PM
To: Brian Mackey
Subject: NFBNJ: Important Issue Dusty's Law new information, get involved!
>From the desk of Joe Ruffalo from Vincent Chaney.
From: Vincent Chaney Jr. [ <mailto:vgc732 at optonline.net>
mailto:vgc732 at optonline.net]
Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 4:08 PM
To: <mailto:nfbnj at yahoo.com> nfbnj at yahoo.com
Cc: <mailto:vgc732 at optonline.net> vgc732 at optonline.net
Subject: NJ Guide Dog Users Request Support of "Dusty's Law"
>From the desk of Vincent G Chaney Jr, President, New Jersey Association of
Guide Dog Users (NJAGDU):
We, the New Jersey Association of Guide Dog Users, support Assembly, No.
2728, designated as "Dusty's Law". We request all NFBNJ members, family,
friends and New Jersey citizens to advocate for this bill to become law by
contacting their two (2) Assembly-Persons today and senators when the bill
is introduced in the senate. A follow-up message will be forwarded upon the
introduction to the senate.
Please let your Assembly-Persons know you support the bill, Assembly, No.
2728, and you are asking them to become a sponsor or co-sponsor. Please
share this message with anyone without email to open this call to everyone.
Should you not know who your Assembly-Persons or Senator are, you could do
one of the following:
1. Call the Office of Legislative Services
Office of Public Information
Phone: 609-847-3905
Toll Free: 800-792-8630
2. Contact your local library
3. Call your Town Hall
4. Click on the link:
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/districts/districtnumbers.asp
On this page, look for your city/town by
browsing through the District list or use a screen reader "find" to search
for your town.
The link above the list of towns within a
district gives Senator and Assembly-Person names, phone numbers, address,
etc. The link below the towns gives professional background information of
each representative.
I am including further descriptive summaries of the Assembly No. 2728 and
conclude with the bill as introduced on March 15, 2012.
A revision of a previous bill has been introduced into our State
Assembly by Assemblyman Robert Schroeder. This bill essentially
criminalizes attacks on guide dogs which may interfere with the work of
the guide dogs or may cause injury or death to them. This law increases
jail time to be served and/or fines to an individual who is found guilty
and also includes restitution for vet bills, value of guide dog and costs
to replace and train with a new guide dog.
The bill is named Dusty's Law because a puppy raiser who lives in Bergen
County was walking a puppy he was raising for the Seeing Eye named
Dusty. The puppy raiser and the puppy were attacked by another dog. The
puppy was injured physically and ultimately was not able to be trained
to become a guide dog because of trauma, as well as the puppy raiser had
suffered a permanent injury to his hand.
Pasted below is the new version of "Dusty's Law". This is much stronger
than the old version as this bill makes it a criminal offense for
attacks/interference. Please contact your Assembly-persons to tell them
you support this bill and ask them to sign on as a sponsor or
co-sponsor. One of the most important pieces of this bill is that
because it is now in the criminal code, the police will have to respond
to a call. This gives us round-the-clock protection, not currently available
through animal control.
ASSEMBLY, No. 2728
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
215th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED MARCH 15, 2012
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ROBERT SCHROEDER
District 39 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes criminal penalties for killing, injuring or interfering
with a guide dog; designated as "Dusty's Law."
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning offenses against guide dogs, designated as "Dusty's
Law,"
and supplementing chapter 29 of Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of
New
Jersey:
1. a. Any person who recklessly kills a guide dog, or who
recklessly permits a dog that the person owns or over which the person
has immediate control, to injure or kill a guide dog, is guilty of a
crime of the fourth degree.
b. Any person who recklessly injures a guide dog, or recklessly
permits a dog that the person owns or over which the person has
immediate control, to injure a guide dog, is guilty of a disorderly
persons offense.
c. Any person who recklessly interferes with the use of a guide
dog, or who recklessly permits a dog that the person owns or over which
that person has immediate control, to interfere with a guide dog by
obstructing, intimidating, or otherwise jeopardizing the safety of that
guide dog or its handler is guilty of a petty disorderly persons
offense.
d. A person who is convicted of a violation of this section, in
addition to any other penalty, shall make full restitution for all
damages that arise out of or are related to the offense, including
incidental and consequential damages incurred by the handler of the
guide dog. Restitution under this section shall include, but not be
limited to:
(1) the value of the guide dog;
(2) replacement and training or retraining expenses for the guide
dog
and the handler;
(3) veterinary and other medical and boarding expenses for the
guide
dog;
(4) medical expenses for the handler; and
(5) lost wages or income incurred by the handler during any
period
that the handler is without the services of the guide dog.
e. As used in this section a "guide dog" shall mean a dog or
dog in
training which:
(1) has been or is being raised or trained by a volunteer puppy
raiser or staff member of an organization generally recognized as being
involved in the rehabilitation of the blind or deaf and reputable and
competent to provide dogs with specialized training; or
(2) fitted with a special harness so as to be suitable as an aid
to
the mobility of a blind person.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would establish criminal penalties for killing, injuring,
or interfering with a guide dog. The bill is to be known as "Dusty's
Law."
Specifically, the bill would make it a crime of the fourth degree
for a person to recklessly kill a guide dog, or to recklessly permit a
dog that he or she owns or has immediate control over, to kill a guide
dog. Fourth degree crimes are punishable by a term of imprisonment of
up to 18 months, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.
A person who recklessly injures a guide dog, or recklessly permits
a dog that he or she owns or has immediate control over to injure a
guide dog would be a disorderly person under the bill. Disorderly
persons offenses are punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to six
months, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.
A person who recklessly interferes with the use of a guide dog, or
who recklessly permits a dog that he or she owns or over which he or she
has immediate control to interfere with a guide dog, by obstructing,
intimidating, or otherwise jeopardizing the safety of that guide dog or
its handler is guilty of a petty disorderly persons offense. Petty
disorderly persons offenses are punishable by a term of imprisonment of
up to 30 days, a fine of up to $500, or both.
The bill also requires a person who recklessly kills, injures, or
interferes with a guide dog to pay restitution. Restitution under the
bill includes the value of the guide dog; replacement and training or
retraining expenses for the guide dog and the handler; veterinary and
other medical and boarding expenses for the guide dog; medical expenses
for the handler; and lost wages or income incurred by the handler during
any period that the handler is without the services of the guide dog.
The bill defines a "guide dog" as a dog, or dog in training, which
(1) has been or is being raised or trained by a volunteer puppy raiser
or staff member of an organization generally recognized as being
involved in the rehabilitation of the blind or deaf and reputable and
competent to provide dogs with specialized training; or (2) is fitted
with a special harness so as to be suitable as an aid to the mobility of
a blind person.
A person acts "recklessly" with respect to a material element of an
offense under this State's criminal code when he or she consciously
disregards a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the material
element exists or will result from his or her conduct. The risk must be
of such a nature and degree that, considering the nature and purpose of
the person's conduct and the circumstances known to the person, its
disregard involves a gross deviation from the standard of conduct that a
reasonable person would observe in the person's situation.
Thank you for making the important calls to each of your two
Assemblypersons.
Respectfully,
Vincent G Chaney Jr
President, New Jersey Association of Guide Dog Users
Forwarded by:
Brian A. Mackey
Brian A. Mackey
Mackey Enterprises LLC
609-953-6988
<mailto:bmackey88 at gmail.com> bmackey88 at gmail.com
"Happy are those who dream dreams and are willing to pay the price to make
those dreams come true."
- Vince Papale
Vinny
Vincent G Chaney Jr
732-251-8650
President, NFBNJ Diabetes Division
President, NFBNJ New Jersey Association of Guide Dog Users
Vice President, NFBNJ Technology Division
Webmaster: nfbnj.org <http://www.nfbnj.org/> http://www.nfbnj.org
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