State Senator
Raymond Finney
SENATOR FINNEY LISTENS
An "online town hall meeting" for constituents of
Senator Finney, who proudly represents the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains region of Tennessee--
the Eighth Senatorial District (Blount and Sevier Counties)...

CLICK TO RETURN TO MENU.

ANIMAL LEGISLATIVE ISSUES
Become a better informed citizen to help provide the care for animals they deserve.

I understand the strong interest to protect animals shared by many of my constituents.

There are many reasons to protect animals, including:

  • It is moral, ethical, and humane activity for humans not to abuse any living being which has less power or legal protection.
  • Abuse of animals is an indicator that the abuser may turn his or her rage on humans (a spouse or child, for example). It is a community safeguard to detect and punish animal abusers.

Therefore, I create this Web page to enhance communication between me and persons who love and wish to protect animals. I post three sections in this Web page:

  1. Input form for suggested legislation--
    Let me know what animal protection laws need to be added, resinded (removed, deleted), or amended (changes, modified).
  2. Actions in the Tennessee Senate related to animal protection or animal care--
    Learn recent actions in the Tennessee Senate during 2006, 2007, and 2008.
  3. Participation in my blog and other links--
    Communicate with your neighbors to learn about animal care and protection issues.

1 INPUT FORM FOR SUGGESTED LEGISLATION...

What new law do we need?
What existing law needs to be rescinded (deleted, removed)?
What existing law needs to be amended (modified, changed)?

Send me any idea about a law you think we need to enact in Tennessee. I will carefully consider your suggestion, and I may introduce a bill to try to enact your idea.

ENTER HERE YOUR IDEA ABOUT A NEEDED LAW ENACTMENT OR CHANGE:

If you wish to communicate with me online, please complete the following:

In order to communicate with you about your idea, I must have your contact information:

YOUR NAME:

YOUR MAILING ADDRESS:

YOUR CITY/ STATE/ ZIP CODE:

YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER:

YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS (required, if I am to communicate with you):

You may also submit your idea to me by POSTAL MAIL (home address):

State Senator Raymond Finney
2119 Middlewood Drive
Maryville, Tennessee 37803-6375.

Please provide contact information with any ideas sent by postal mail.

2 RECENT ACTIONS IN THE TENNESSEE SENATE...

For your information, I post my votes in the Tennessee Senate concerning animal legislation.

NOTES:

  • All VOTES are recorded in the format of xx/xx/xx, representing votes of AYE (yes)/ NAY (no)/ PRESENT (not voting). Senate rules permit a senator to change a vote, if done in a timely manner and if the outcome of the bill or resolution is not changed. I record the vote as immediately announced. A changed vote rarely might make the final vote slightly different than presented herein, but the outcome is unchanged.
  • I am the prime sponsor, co-prime sponsor, or co-sponsor of any bill written in RED FONT COLOR
  • I present a brief abstract of the bill or resolution. Some bills are many pages long, with complicated provisions and exceptions. This brief abstract is intended for information purposes only, not as a detailed summary of the provisions contained in any bill or resolution following amendments and, possibly, conference committee to resolve Senate-House differences. Read the bill (immediately following comment) to better understand the bill or resolution.
  • Click on any UNDERLINED bill or resolution number to be linked to the General Assembly's Web page, which provides the language of the bill or resolution, amendments, fiscal note, progress through the houses, and other important information.
  • CAUTION: This site records only Senate action. For a bill to become law, it must be passed in both the Senate and the House of Representative, and must receive favorable action by the governor.

2008:

The General Assembly will not re-convene until early January, 2008. Check later for 2008 bills and votes.

2007:

SB0537: Increases the punishment for the offense of being present as a spectator at a dog fight. DATE: 03/07/07. SENATE VOTE: 30/0/0. MY VOTE: Aye.

SB0637: Adds to present law defining cruelty to animals certain injurious manners of tethering that would prevent the animal from having adequate access to food, water, or shelter. DATE: 03/12/07. SENATE VOTE: 28/1/0. MY VOTE: Aye.

SB1190: Provides that in animal cruelty prosecutions, if the defendant does not post court-ordered security to pay for expense of caring for the animal with fifteen business days, the animal is forfeited and defendant loses all ownership rights. DATE: 03/28/07. SENATE VOTE: 19/9/2. MY VOTE: Pass (Present, not voting). COMMENT: I declined to vote on this bill, not because of lack of concern for animals but because of problematic wording of the bill. Ten other senators had the same problem with the drafting of the bill (voting present or nay), even though it did pass.

SB0487: Creates Class E felony for sexual conduct or sexual contact with an animal, except for established farming and veterenarian practices. DATE: 04/02/07. SENATE VOTE: 30/0/0. MY VOTE: Aye.

SB2165: Removes prohibition on funds in the agricultural resources conservation fund being used for administrative pruposes; authorizes the commissioner of agriculture to expend the funds as matching dollars to secure additional funding to fulfill the purposes for which the fund was established. DATE: 04/12/07. SENATE VOTE: 31/0/0. MY VOTE: Aye.

SB2282: Creates misdemeanor offenses for removing from a dog an electronic or radio transmitting collar without the permission of the owner. DATE: 04/16/07. SENATE VOTE: 29/0/0. MY VOTE: Aye.

2006:

No links are provided because electronic archives are not available for 2006.

SB2711: Authorizes Department of Agriculture to issue a certificate of free sale for drug products for which the manufacturer or distributor has provided documentation of FDA inspection and which such manufacturer or distributor appears to be authorized to sell. DATE: 03/06/06. SENATE VOTE: 30/0/0. MY VOTE: Aye.

SJR0610: Names and designates "National Agriculture Day," March 20, 2006, and "National Agriculture Week," March 19-26, 2005. DATE: 03/09/06. SENATE VOTE: 33/0/0. MY VOTE: Aye.

SB3654: Specifies that artificial insemination of livestock animals is not a veterinary practice for which licensure is required. DATE: 04/03/06. SENATE VOTE: 30/0/0. MY VOTE: Aye.

SB3617: Classifies laboratory records maintained in animal disease diagnostic laboratory operated by department of agriculture, including identification and location of owners submitting animal samples, as confidential state records not open to inspection by public. DATE: 04/10/06. SENATE VOTE: 26/3/0. MY VOTE: Nay.

SB3184 (substitute and conform to HB3085): Deletes authority of the department of agriculture to subrogate right of claimant seeking compensation from Tennessee grain indemnity fund. DATE: 04/24/06. SENATE VOTE: 29/0/0. MY VOTE: Aye.

SB3864 (substitute and conform to HB3982): Specifies that records provided to or collected by the department of agriculture pursuant to the implementation and operation of premise identification or animal tracking programs and contingency plans concerning the department's response to agriculture-related homeland security events are confidential and not open to public inspection, as provided by federal law. DATE: 04/27/06. SENATE VOTE: 27/0/0. MY VOTE: Aye.

SB3565: Authorizes any officer of an animal shelter who takes custody of an animal used in illegal fighting to file a petition with the criminal court where charges are filed to secure payment for all costs associated with care of the animal. DATE: 05/25/06. SENATE VOTE: 27/0/0. MY VOTE: Aye.

3 MY ANIMAL BLOG AND OTHER LINKS...

FINNEY BLOG:

I maintain a blog, FINNEY BLOG, to encourage constituents to communicate with me and each other about issues of concern to them.

Please participate in my ANIMAL ISSUES BLOG Web page.

LINKS:

The following links may be of interest to you:

Use the input form shown above to suggest additional links I should add.

Thank you for visiting my Website.