BILL NUMBER: ACR 150	ENROLLED
	BILL TEXT

	ADOPTED IN SENATE  JUNE 2, 2016
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 7, 2016
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 7, 2016

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Atkins
   (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Maienschein)
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Alejo, Baker, Bigelow,
Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Chang, Chau,
Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Daly, Dodd, Eggman,
Frazier, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson,
Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Hadley, Harper, Roger Hernández, Holden,
Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Linder, Lopez, Mathis, McCarty, Medina,
Mullin, Nazarian, O'Donnell, Olsen, Quirk, Rendon, Rodriguez, Salas,
Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron,
Weber, Wilk, Williams, and Wood)

                        MARCH 7, 2016

   Relative to prevention of cruelty to animals.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 150, Atkins. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals.
   This measure would commend the American Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals on the celebration of its 150th anniversary
and for the myriad contributions it has made to the health and
well-being of animals nationwide and would extend best wishes for
continued success in the future.



   WHEREAS, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals (ASPCA) is celebrating its 150th anniversary on April 10,
2016, and it is appropriate at this time to highlight its many
achievements as North America's first humane society and underscore
the positive impact it has made throughout the State of California
and across the nation; and
   WHEREAS, The ASPCA was founded by Henry Bergh in 1866 on the
belief that protecting animals was an issue that crossed party lines
and class boundaries; and
   WHEREAS, Motivated to act after witnessing the regular beating,
abuse, and overworking of cart horses, Henry Bergh made a commanding
moral and legal case to protect animals, and in so doing, persuaded
prominent leaders of the time, including members of the Rockefeller
family, to support him in enacting the first anti-cruelty law in the
United States; and
   WHEREAS, Henry Bergh personally fought for animal welfare on New
York City streets, as well as in the courtroom, regularly inspecting
slaughter houses, working with police to close down dog fighting
pits, lecturing at schools, and operating the nation's first
ambulance for overworked horses that frequently collapsed from
dehydration and exhaustion; and
   WHEREAS, Henry Bergh's outspoken crusade on behalf of animals
inspired those activists seeking to protect abused children to
establish the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Children, the first child protective agency in the world, for which
he served as a founding vice president; and
   WHEREAS, By 1888, the year Henry Bergh died, 37 of the country's
then 38 states had passed animal anti-cruelty laws, and the ASPCA
today continues his legacy by working to enhance laws to protect
animals by advocating nationally for the strongest possible
protections for animals; helping animals in crisis by responding to
requests for assistance by law enforcement and emergency response
agencies around the country; and, since 2008, providing $93 million
in grants to various partners nationwide, including over $12.3
million to organizations throughout California in support of programs
in line with its mission; and
   WHEREAS, Since its founding, the American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has evolved into a dynamic voice for
improving the quality of life for animals throughout the United
States; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the American Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals be commended on celebrating its 150th anniversary
and for the myriad contributions it has made to the health and
well-being of animals nationwide and wished the best for continued
success in the future.