Your Voice Matters - SB 359

Ok everyone, we really need you now, more than ever. SB 359 has moved to the House. It will be heard by the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources (date of meeting TBD). The opposition has already been contacting Committee members. It is VERY IMPORTANT to write your Delegate and ask them to support SB 359, a bill designed to permit more wide-scale trap, neuter, return (TNR) efforts by SPCAs, Humane Societies and Pounds to reduce feral cat populations in communities throughout our Commonwealth.

Please take your time and email your Delegate. Our initial focus is to contact all of those Delegates on the Committee. Please also forward this to everyone you know and request them to take action. Please, please take action!!!!

Dear Delegate (Last Name):

Please Support SB 359. Now is the time for this important piece of legislation.

SB 359 allows SPCAs, Humane Societies and Pounds to design wide-scale trap, neuter and return (TNR) efforts without requiring that all participants be deemed owners under the law simply by virtue of their willingness to assist in getting feral cats fixed.

Feral cats already exist. They do not have owners. They live outdoors in all areas and are unsocialized to humans. Options under Virginia law to help reduce these cat populations are limited. Consequently, these feral cats continue to proliferate, uncontrolled, in our Virginia communities.

SB 359 will enable local governments and organizations to reduce the feral cat and kitten populations in their communities through organized trap, neuter and return efforts. Passage of this bill will result in increased TNR efforts and enable more volunteers, community residents and businesses to become active participants in TNR, resulting in a greater number of cats being fixed and less kittens being born in our Virginia communities.

Many communities already have seen success with limited TNR efforts. SB 359 would greatly further these efforts by permitting wide-scale TNR efforts to greatly reduce our feral cat population. Nonetheless, for those communities not choosing to implement TNR, SB 359 will not require any action of or have any fiscal impact upon any locality or organization.

Now is the time for Virginia to move forward with solutions, not excuses. Please support SB 359 because we can reduce the cat/kitten populations in our Virginia communities.

Thank you for your consideration and support of this important bill.

Sincerely,

(Your Name)

DelDBulova@house.virginia.gov City of Fairfax, Part of Fairfax Cnty
DelDEnglin@house.virginia.gov Part of Arlington, Fairfax & Alexandria
DelMJames@house.virginia.gov Part of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Suffolk & Portsmouth
DelLLewis@house.virginia.gov Accomack & Northampton, Part of Norfolk and Va Beach
DelMSickles@house.virginia.gov
 Part of Fairfax Cnty
DelLTorian@house.virginia.gov Part of Fairfax CntyPart of Prince William Cnty
DelKPlum@house.virginia.gov 
Part of Fairfax Cnty
DelBSherwood@house.virginia.gov
 Winchester, Part of Frederick & Warren
DelEScott@house.virginia.gov Orange & Madison, Part of Culpeper Cnty
DelJEdmunds@house.virginia.gov
 Charlotte, Halifax & Prince Edward
DelMFariss@house.virginia.gov Appomattox & Buckingham
DelBKnight@house.virginia.gov
 Part of Chesapeak & Va Beach
DelDMarshall@house.virginia.gov Danville; Part of Henry & Pittslvania
DelJMorefield@house.virginia.gov
 Bland, Buchanan & Tazewell, Part of Russell
DelBOrrock@house.virginia.gov Part of Caroline & Spotsylvania
DelBPogge@house.virginia.gov Part of James City & York
DelCPoindexter@house.virginia.gov Patrick, Part of Franklin County and Henry
DelMRansome@house.virginia.gov King George, Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond Cnty and Westmoreland, Part of Caroline
DelMWebert@house.virginia.gov Rappahannock, Part of Culpeper, Fauquier & Warren
DeltWilt@house.virginia.gov Harrison, Part of Rockingham
DelTWright@house.virginia.gov Amelia, Cumberland, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Part of Lunenburg