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Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed three bills into law on Monday, including a bill several years in the making that invalidates 21 local ordinances throughout the state that limited pet sales.
House Enrolled Act 1412 establishes care standards for commercial dog breeders and pet stores.
The law requires retail pet stores, animal care facilities and animal rescue operations to register with the Indiana State Board of Animal Health. It establishes mandatory disclosures for retail pet stores selling dogs. And it establishes a random inspection program for commercial dog breeders, commercial dog brokers and retail pet stores beginning July 1, 2025.
The state law creates additional responsibilities for the animal health board but does not provide new funding.
Local governments, including Indianapolis, Carmel and Bloomington, had passed ordinances saying pet stores couldn’t sell puppies from breeding operations. The local measures, which are overturned by the state law, were designed with the intent of limiting puppy mills.
Holcomb released a statement saying “A lot of collective work has gone into this bill since last session which addresses many of my original concerns. HB 1412 puts in place protections and provides needed transparency concerning the sale of dogs in Indiana. By signing this bill, pet stores, breeding facilities and animal rescue operations will be required to register with the Indiana State Board of Animal Health while pet stores will also be required to maintain records of each dog purchased. The new regulations will ensure responsible breeding practices and improve animal care and safety in our communities.”
The bill was authored by Rep. Beau Baird, R-Greencastle, who raises and breeds Great Pyrenees dogs at his west-central Indiana farm.
Sen. Blake Doriot, R-Goshen, the chamber sponsor, described the measure as a proposal to establish some of the “strictest standards in the country” for retail stores and breeders, which must register with the state and follow Purdue University’s Canine Care Certified Program.
Critics say the measure, which failed last year, strips local control and protects so-called puppy mills at the expense of crowded animal shelters. And there is no state funding to support state inspections.
The measure also excludes so-called “hobby breeders,” who are defined as breeding operations with fewer than 20 breeding female dogs that sell puppies to dog brokers, pet stores and the general public.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had urged Holcomb to veto the bill, saying it would allow puppy-mill cruelty to flourish.
“HB 1412 is supported by the very industry that profits off of the inhumane treatment of dogs and will do nothing more than give Hoosiers a false sense of protecting dogs from the heartbreaking reality of commercial breeding facilities,” Sana Azem, ASPCA senior legislative director for the Midwest division, said in written remarks.
The final vote in the House was 53-34 after the Senate advanced the bill with a 31-18 vote.
Holcomb also signed two other bills:
House Enrolled Act 1058 requires more health care guidance to people with dense breast tissue, while House Enrolled Act 1034 extends insurance coverage on property transferred after death.
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If you ever question who is more important voters vs those that line politicians pockets. Here’s your answer.
Money, power and influence is always at the heart of these decisions no matter the party and not in the best interest of the general public or in this case the dogs who languish in these facilities, I’m sick of seeing puppies for sale signs in front of all these stores when the shelters are overflowing with surrendered dogs after the owners decide they don’t want their new toy anymore.
The article begs the question: how much money flowed from the puppy-breeders to the politicians who decided the state knows better than local communities? Also, does anyone seriously think the new “regulations” will do any of the things the politicians (including the governor) want us to believe? Lastly, have any of those politicians ever heard that the Republican Party used to believe that “the government that is closest to the people is the government that best serves the people”?
the Republican party to which you refer is long since dead and buried. Dick Lugar was maybe the last of it; the rest went into hiding after Lugar was jettisioned for Mourdock. I thought maybe Holcomb could resurrect the GOP, but the likes of Rokita, Banks, Braun and most of the GOP Congressional and statehouse delegation have now worn him down to largely being irrelevant as he prepares to leave office. He knows he can’t veto a bill, as it would just be overridden by the MAGgots. No, the days of local government for the urban areas are now in the past. And in that passing ends Indiana’s chances of economic growth.
He could still have vetoed the bill, unsuccessfully, just to show he still has a shred of integrity and a bit of moral compass. Have lost all respect for Holcomb. He’s a typical Republican.
NEW Republican, that is. The old Republican party of Lugar long gone, as the party has gradually morphed into an unrecognizable cult.
As a moderate right Republican, I agree with you. I thought the very same thing that if he had any guts, he would’ve stood up what is best for the animals but instead, sold out to the slimy Republicans that backed this bill
This is simply shameful. It’s not in the best interest of any living being except the lobbyists. Shameful.
A puppy mill bill written by someone who runs a puppy mill.
Indiana is never in more danger except when the legislature is in session.
Shameful.
Here’s a link to campaign contributions. Read it and puke. Our legislature is truly for sale.
https://campaignfinance.in.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/FilingAmendmentSelect.aspx?FilingID=58681
So disappointed in Holcomb.
Did the authorities ever catch those dogs that mauled to death the elderly man last week?
Drop offs at animal shelters will skyrocket.
Disappointed.