This was a big victory that sent a clear message to the pet food industry lobby and other states who are adopting similar programs.
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The amended bill title was “An Act to Increase Funds Deposited into the Companion Animal Sterization Fund Through the Pet Food Surcharge.” In its original form, this bill attempted to remove the pet food surcharge and as a result would have drastically reduced funding for Maine’s Animal Welfare Program’s low-cost spay / neuter program.Īs best said by one of the Agriculture Conservation and Forestry committee members: “so we have a fee that no one is complaining about, it funds a much-needed program, it has been administered successfully, it doesn’t hurt the pet food industry at all, yet here we are.” The committee not only defeated the bill, they flipped it, renamed and amended it to increase the funding allocated for the program. With very little notice, 75 animal advocvates submitted testimony in opposition to the proposed funding repeal. The bill, was one of many submitted over the years by the pet food industry to undermine and repeal a minor pet food tax surcharge that supports Maine’s successful companion animal sterlization fund (Help Fix ME program) and also helps fund state animal cruelty investigations.
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In 2017 Maine animal activists came out strongly in Augusta against LD 1601 “An Act to Reduce Costs to Businesses by Phasing Out the Pet Food Surcharge”, which was supported by the Governor as a pro-business bill.