HB 22

Animal Welfare - Declawing Cats - Prohibited Acts

Sponsor: Lorig Charkoudian (District 20)Committee: Environment and TransportationSubject: AgricultureStatus: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 178 (as of Nov 15, 2022)

What this bill does

Official synopsis

Prohibiting a veterinary practitioner from performing certain declawing procedures on a cat unless the procedure is necessary for a therapeutic purpose; authorizing the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners to impose certain disciplinary actions on a veterinary practitioner for willful violations of the prohibition; providing that a violation of the Act is a civil offense; and providing that a person who violates the Act is subject to a fine of up to $1,000.

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Analysis reads the bill text, the fiscal note, and the witness list. It is generated by Claude and reviewed by nobody, so check the source documents before you rely on it.

Testimony (19)

MGA witness list

FAV 13FavorableUNF 6Unfavorable

Position	Witness	Organization	Testimony
FAV	Robinson, Becky	Alley Cat Allies	Written (PDF)
FAV	Hodges, Barbara	Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association	Written (PDF)
FAV	Radov, Lisa	Maryland Votes for Animals, Inc.	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Whittred, Susan	Patricia H. Ladew Foundation, Inc.	Written (PDF)
FAV	Conrad, DVM, Jennifer	Paw Project	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Cassiday, Laura	Pawsitive Vibes Cat Behavior and Training LLC	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Shah, Amish	Self-employed	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	oliver, Carol	The Feline Rescue Association	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Bays, Danielle	The Humane Society of the United States	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Jensvold, James	The Paw Project	Written (PDF)
FAV	Charkoudian, Lorig	Individual	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Delegate Charkoudian, Delegate Charkoudianlegislator	Individual	Oral
FAV	Dodman, BVMA, DACVB, DACVAA, Dr. Nicholas	Individual	Oral + Written (PDF)
UNF	Howe, Joshlobbyist	Compass Gov't. Relations obo MD Association for Justice (MAJ)	Oral + Written (PDF)
UNF	Francis, Marisa	Maryland Veterinary Medical Association	Oral + Written (PDF)
UNF	Giebel, Lawrence	Maryland Veterinary Medical Association	Oral + Written (PDF)
UNF	Hepner, Elizabeth	Maryland Veterinary Medical Association	Oral
UNF	Rosero, Jonathan	Maryland Veterinary Medical Association	Oral
UNF	Weeman, Dr. Matthew	Maryland Veterinary Medical Association	Oral + Written (PDF)

Organizations on record

Alley Cat AlliesFAV 1

Compass Gov't. Relations obo MD Association for Justice (MAJ)UNF 1

Humane Society Veterinary Medical AssociationFAV 1

Maryland Veterinary Medical AssociationUNF 5

Maryland Votes for Animals, Inc.FAV 1

Patricia H. Ladew Foundation, Inc.FAV 1

Paw ProjectFAV 1

Pawsitive Vibes Cat Behavior and Training LLCFAV 1

Self-employedFAV 1

The Feline Rescue AssociationFAV 1

The Humane Society of the United StatesFAV 1

The Paw ProjectFAV 1

Registered lobbyists who testified

UNFHowe, JoshCompass Gov't. Relations obo MD Association for Justice (MAJ)Registered for: Maryland Association for Justice, LLC.; American Massage Therapy Association - MD Chapter; National Alliance for the Mentally Ill Maryland (NAMI MD); NexAmp, Inc.; JJF Management Services, Inc.; Maryland State Perfusion Society, Inc.