BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2296|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2296
Author: Mullin (D)
Amended: 7/2/08 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE : 5-0, 6/24/08
AYES: Corbett, Harman, Ackerman, Kuehl, Steinberg
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 76-0, 5/19/08 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Animal Enterprise Protection Act
SOURCE : University of California
DIGEST : This bill enacts the Animal Enterprise
Protection Act and states Legislative findings and
declarations.
ANALYSIS :
Existing federal law, under the Animal Enterprise
Protection Act, prohibits damaging or interfering with the
operations of an animal enterprise; intentionally damaging
or causing the loss of any property (including animals or
records) used by an animal enterprise or a person or entity
having a connection to an animal enterprise; or
intentionally placing a person or family member of a person
in connection with an animal enterprise in reasonable fear
of death or serious bodily injury or by a course of conduct
involving threats, acts of vandalism, property damage,
CONTINUED
AB 2296
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criminal trespass, harassment, or intimidation.
This bill arises from the reported unlawful activities of
animal rights groups against University of California (UC)
employees, as follows: (1) on three occasions since June
2006, firebombs have been left near the homes of UCLA
faculty who conduct or oversee research involving animals.
The home of one UCLA researcher sustained over $20,000 in
damages after being flooded by animal extremists who
inserted a garden hose into the house and left a note
threatening to burn the house down in the future, (2) it is
also noted that faculty at UCSF have been subject to death
threats, and in one instance, a burning effigy was left on
the doorstep of a researcher's home. And, in one recent
home attack, masked protesters disrupted a child's birthday
party at the home of a UC Santa Cruz faculty member and
confronted her husband at the door, striking him on the
hand.
The author's office writes, "Increasingly scientists who
conduct research with laboratory animals have been targets
of a campaign of terrorism, harassment, and violent threats
by animal rights extremists. While traditional targets
have included research and biomedical laboratories, the use
of the Internet has provided extremists with additional
ways to terrorize an increasing number of people.
Extremists use websites to post the personal information,
home address, and photographs of researchers and their
families - along with incitements of violence.
"Therefore, AB 2296 enhances the ability to protect
individuals engaging in work with animal subjects in
California, by creating new civil remedies for threats and
other misconduct made against an animal enterprise engaged
in its constitutional rights pertaining to academic
freedom."
This bill states that the Legislature hereby finds and
declares that while individuals are entitled to express
their views on animal use in research and to mount protests
that are protected under the First Amendment to the United
States Constitution, the use of physical threats, violence,
or destruction of property is unacceptable and should not
be tolerated.
AB 2296
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3
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 7/2/08)
University of California
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Aghazarian, Anderson, Arambula, Beall,
Benoit, Berg, Berryhill, Blakeslee, Brownley, Caballero,
Charles Calderon, Carter, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre,
De Leon, DeSaulnier, DeVore, Duvall, Dymally, Emmerson,
Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines,
Galgiani, Garcia, Hancock, Hayashi, Hernandez, Horton,
Houston, Huff, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Karnette, Keene,
Krekorian, La Malfa, Laird, Leno, Levine, Lieber, Lieu,
Maze, Mendoza, Mullin, Nakanishi, Nava, Niello, Parra,
Plescia, Portantino, Price, Sharon Runner, Ruskin, Salas,
Saldana, Silva, Smyth, Solorio, Spitzer, Strickland,
Swanson, Torrico, Tran, Villines, Walters, Wolk, Bass
NO VOTE RECORDED: Garrick, Ma, Nunez, Soto
RJG:do 7/2/08 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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