House Concurred in Senate Amendments to H.626 on Animal Welfare; Minor Fee Correction Included

The House voted to concur in Senate amendments to H.626, a bill concerning animal welfare standards and administrative details, after the House suspended rules to take the bill up for immediate consideration.

Member from Charlotte summarized the Senate changes, noting three primary adjustments: (1) added language clarifying that standards of care apply to animals "housed or imported by animal shelters or rescue organizations," (2) a requirement for the director of animal welfare to estimate both the time it takes agencies to handle animal welfare cases and the number and types of complaints they process, and (3) a technical correction to a rabies-fee calculation that raised the fee by $1 and adjusted a percentage from 50% to 67%.

The committee that reviewed the bill reported concurrence and a straw poll in favor. The House then took a voice vote and the presiding officer announced concurrence in the Senate proposal of amendment.

Next steps: with the House concurrence recorded, the amended H.626 proceeds according to legislative procedure for bills amended by the other chamber.