Animals In Print
The On-Line Newsletter

From 14 February 2002 Issue

Greyhound news from GREY2K
 Update - February 9, 2002

SOURCE:
Carey Theil & Christine Dorchak
GREY2K USA
PO Box 442117
Somerville, MA 02144
(617) 666-3526
www.grey2kusa.org

GREYHOUNDS SCORE FIRST VICTORY,
NEW HAMPSHIRE SLOTS BILL CRUSHED

On Thursday, January 31, the New Hampshire House of Representatives voted on a bill that would have legalized slot machines at Granite State dog tracks.  This was the first floor vote on dog track slot machines in 2002.

Thanks to the hard work of the Granite State Coalition Against Expanded Gambling, House Bill 1353 was defeated 217-130.  This is a tremendous victory and we are optimistic that if we work hard this will be only the beginning of a string of victories for the greyhounds.

However, despite this resounding victory, the fight in New Hampshire is far from over.  The tracks have vowed to bring similar legislation back to the House floor, and it is likely that the New Hampshire legislature will address this issue again later in the session.

RHODE ISLAND GOVERNOR DENOUNCES DOG TRACK SUBSIDIES IN STATE OF STATE ADDRESS

In his State of the State Address on Wednesday, February 7, Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Almond called on lawmakers to repeal a $14 million subsidy that greyhound kennel owners now receive.  "There is absolutely no reason why we continue to subsidize the dog owners at Lincoln Park," Almond said.   "Let's put an end to that practice now."

Almond also urged the Rhode Island Lottery Commission to not allow additional slot machines at Lincoln Park.  The Commission is expected to decide whether or not to legalize 1,300 additional slot machines at the track in the next few weeks.

You can find a full transcript of Governor Lincoln Almond's State of the State Address at: www.projo.com/news/stateofstate/

RHODE ISLAND BILLS TO BAN GREYHOUND RACING INTRODUCED

This week, Senate Bill 2613, sponsored by Senator Rhoda Perry and Senator Mary Parella, and House Bill 7505, sponsored by Representative Joseph Almeida and Representative Charles Levesque, were introduced.  Both of these bills would outlaw live greyhound racing in Rhode Island!  Also, they would redirect $14 million to the newly created Neighborhood Community Trust Fund.  Instead of subsidizing greyhound kennels, state money would be used to support education, health care, spay/neuter programs, and neighborhood community centers.  GREY2K USA worked closely with Defenders of Animals and Volunteer Services for Animals in drafting this legislation.

On January 26, GREY2K USA joined DFA and VSA at a rally before the Rhode Island statehouse to support this legislation.  The rally received tremendous exposure, and was covered on the front page of the Providence Journal's Local News Section.

Here's what you can do to help:

First, please write to the sponsors of this legislation and thank them for supporting the greyhounds.  If you have an adopted greyhound yourself, be sure to tell them about your companion.  It is important that lawmakers know that there are greyhound lovers across the country who support the position they have taken.  You can reach them at:

Honorable Representative Joseph Almeida
299 California Avenue
Providence, RI 02905

Honorable Representative Charles Levesque
47 Islington Ave.
Portsmouth, RI 02871

Honorable Senator Rhoda Perry
State House
Room 317
Providence, RI 02903

Honorable Senator Mary Parella
State House
Room 317
Providence, RI 02903

Secondly, if you live in Rhode Island, please contact your local State Representative and State Senator and ask them to support H 7505 and S 2613.  For information on how to contact your Rhode Island State Representative and State Senator, contact Carey Theil at grey2kcarey@yahoo.com .

DOG TRACKS MAKE UNPRECEDENTED PUSH FOR SLOT MACHINES; GREY2K USA LEADS
COALITION IN FIGHT AGAINST INDUSTRY

In at least four states - Arizona, Florida, Kansas and New Hampshire - greyhound racetracks have launched the strongest push ever for slot machines at their facilities.  In Florida, the tracks have hired dozens of lobbyists and several bills have been introduced in the state legislature to legalize slots at the tracks.  In New Hampshire, every lobbying firm in the state except two have been hired by the tracks.  In Kansas, a former Speaker of the
House has been retained by the dog racing industry to push for slots.  The tracks are making a similar push in Arizona, and have threatened to file a ballot initiative to take the issue directly to the voters.

WE MUST DEFEAT THESE BILLS!

These fights are critical to our efforts.  If we lose this year, dog tracks:
will continue to operate indefinitely in these states, and greyhound racing
will be subsidized by slot machine revenue.  Tens of thousands of greyhounds
will continue to be bred and killed each year, courtesy of casino gambling. 

In response, GREY2K USA has launched the 2002 Greyhound Legislative Coalition with the American Society for the Prevention of Animals and the Humane Society of the United States.  So far, the coalition has launched the following projects:

-We have hired a professional lobbyist in Florida to defeat pro-industry legislation, and are in negotiations with professional lobbying firms in other states 

-We are in the process of sending out 1,000 legislative information packets to lawmakers across the country

-We are chairing bi-monthly meetings to strategize on how to defeat dog track bills 

-We are lobbying lawmakers directly

GREY2K USA's continued efforts will depend on your financial support. The greyhounds need a voice, and we can be that voice. Please empower us, and make us stronger, by making a contribution through our secured server today.
Just go to: www.grey2kusa.org/contribute.htm . 

You can also send a contribution to GREY2K USA at:
GREY2K USA
PO Box 442117
Somerville, MA 02144

"Visit our website to see how you can volunteer to help and for  ACTION LETTERS AND THEIR ADDRESSES

Please look for article headed:
*RHODE ISLAND BILLS TO BAN GREYHOUND RACING INTRODUCED*
 
Source: cecibn@sedona.net (Beatrice Welles)

VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED FOR NATIONAL PUBLIC OUTREACH CAMPAIGN

Education is the key to fighting the cruelty of dog racing.  Please contact Angelika at GREY2K USA headquarters and find out how you can help spread the word to others.  Supporters are already setting up informational displays at their libraries and town halls, distributing GREY2K USA and Greyhound Protection League brochures to their neighbors, and mailing out materials to family and friends alike. 

Everyone's help is needed so we can educate as many people as possible about the suffering of greyhounds in kennels and at racetracks nationwide.

Please e-mail Angelika at grey2Kangelika@yahoo.com for more information on our continuing public outreach campaign.

Return to Animals in Print 14 Feb 2002 Issue

| Home Page | Newsletter Directory |

Animals in Print - A Newsletter concerned with: advances, alerts, animal, animals, attitude, attitudes, beef, cat, cats, chicken, chickens, compassion, consciousness, cows, cruelty, dairy, dog, dogs, ecology, egg, eggs, education, empathy, empathize, empathise, environment, ethics, experiment, experiments, factory, farm, farms, fish, fishing, flesh, food, foods, fur, gentleness, health, human, humans, non-human, hunting, indifference, intelligent, intelligence, kindness, lamb, lambs, liberation, medical, milk, natural, nature, newsletters, pain, pig, pigs, plant, plants, poetry, pork, poultry, research, rights, science, scientific, society, societies, species, stories, study, studies, suffering, test, testing, trapping, vegetable, vegetables, vegan, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarianism, water, welfare (d-6)

This site is hosted and maintained by:
The Mary T. and Frank L. Hoffman Family Foundation
Thank you for visiting all-creatures.org.
Since