All Illinoisans with a dog should know by now that Rep. John Bradley’s HB 1080, if passed, would allow breed-specific legislation — meaning breed bans and breed-specific restrictions — in any municipality in Illinois.   HB 1080 was in the House Agriculture & Conservation Committee for many weeks, but every time HB 1080 came up for a hearing, it was repeatedly not heard as if the bill’s sponsor was waiting out the bill’s opposition.

Then, an “amendment” was added to the bill with some wording about rabies vaccines, but all the “amendment” did was strike through the word “the” only to add it back in again.   It is our belief that this “amendment” was only added to HB 1080 in order to force the Agriculture & Conservation Committee to kick HB 1080 back down to the Rules Committee again in hopes that HB 1080 would be assigned to a committee more amenable to the idea of breed-specific legislation.   Because of these low-ball tactics and Rep. Bradley’s attempt at an end-around of the democratic process, we hope HB 1080 dies a well-deserved, dishonorable death in the Rules Committee.

Please write the Rules Committee and politely ask them not to give in to Rep. Bradleys subversion of the democratic process.   And yes, merely changing one word in a so-called amendment in order to get HB 1080 out of the Agriculture Committee where it didnt stand a chance, and back to the Rules Committee where it is hoped that the bill will get an assignment to a committee that will pass it on to the House floor is an end-around of the democratic process.   So is cancelling meeting after meeting where the bill is scheduled to be heard in committee in hopes of waiting out your opposition.