[Njagdu] A2728 Message Forwarded to NFBNJ

Tue Apr 17 05:28:03 UTC 2012

Lisa:

Thank you for joining our April 16th NJAGDU conference call. We were all
very emotionally touched by the words and thoughts of Roger Woodhour and his
experience with Dusty. We thank you for your positive approach and
legislative knowledge you shared with us and our members. We look forward to
being advocates for Assembly No. A2728, "Dusty's Law", and other similar
needs as guide dog handlers. 

May we be a resource to promote and share information through our members as
we proceed with legislative items in New Jersey. I will forward the links
and documents you send to me to join your newsletters, advocacy sign-ups,
links for suggestive letters to write and other notices you send to me for
the NJAGDU (New Jersey Association of Guide Dog Users) group.

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/> 

From: Yakomin, Lisa [mailto:LYakomin at njleg.org] 
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2012 4:22 PM
To: Vincent Chaney Jr.
Cc: Ginger Kutsch; Joe Ruffalo
Subject: RE: A2728 Message Forwarded to NFBNJ

Hi Vincent, 

Sorry I haven't gotten back to you sooner. We were very busy at the end of
last week, and I spent most of the day in Trenton today. I'm looking forward
to the conference call tonight and giving everyone on update on our efforts
to pass Dusty's Law.

Attached is a copy of the Dusty's Law petition that I promised you, which
supporters can print out and use to gather signatures.

I'll speak with you tonight!

Lisa

Lisa Yakomin, Chief of Staff

Assemblyman Robert Schroeder, Legislative District 39

123 Broadway, 2nd Flr., 

Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677

Phone: 201-391-3673  Fax: 201-391-3675

Follow Asm. Schroeder on Facebook
<blocked::https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Robert-Schroeder/108604102510716
> 

Follow Asm. Schroeder on Twitter
<blocked::http://twitter.com/#!/schroedernj> 

Read Asm. Schroeder's Blog <blocked::http://robertschroeder.com/wordpress> 

From: Vincent Chaney Jr. [mailto:vgc732 at optonline.net] 
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2012 3:00 PM
To: Schroeder, Asm. D.O.; Yakomin, Lisa
Cc: Ginger Kutsch; Joe Ruffalo; Vincent Chaney Jr
Subject: A2728 Message Forwarded to NFBNJ

To Assemblyman Schroeder and Lisa Yakomin,

This is FYI of the copy of the message I had forwarded to the 1400 National
Federation of the Blind of New Jersey, NFBNJ, members to initiate our
support of the bill, Assembly No. A2728 "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

732-251-8650

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