From today’s Toledo Blade:

A recently approved House bill stripping the “pit bull” from Ohio’s definition of “vicious dog” has made its way to the Senate, where such proposals have not been warmly received. The amendment was added to a bill increasing penalties for animal cruelty just before House Bill 55 left the lower chamber.  

The measure has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Criminal Justice Committee but is unlikely to see action before lawmakers return to Columbus this fall at the earliest.

With control of the governor’s office and Ohio House up for grabs, there’s been some discussion that lawmakers may not return until after the Nov. 2 election. Any bill that doesn’t reach the governor’s desk before the end of the year will die.

“I’m going to start lobbying hard to have that amendment added to another piece of legislation if [the bill] doesn’t go anywhere,” said Rep. Barbara Sears (R., Monclova), sponsor of a stand-alone “pit-bull” bill mired in a House committee.

“Enough people are just getting uncomfortable with the fact that Ohio is the only state that discriminates against breeds,” she said. Rep. Matt Szollosi (D., Oregon), who offered the amendment on the floor, said he hopes the bipartisan support seen in the House would bode well in the Senate.

“The arbitrary killing of dogs based on breed as opposed to tendencies demonstrated by a dog really makes no sense,” he said. “The House viewed it as an injustice.”

Read this article in its entirety here.