Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
1966
Abstract
The statements that I shall make in this address are based upon experience gained by me as a lawyer, and as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives. That experience was applied to the successful pioneer attempt to enact the Ohio Rodeo Law of which I was the author and the pilot. Ohio is the first state in which a law has been passed to prohibit certain cruelty practices prevalent in rodeos and thus virtually eliminate them as a medium of public entertainment.
The origin of legislation is in some comprehension of a condition that needs correction by law. Such reform requires drafting a bill adequate to accomplish the desired objective. If there is no known precedent, the draft must necessarily be a novel composition. If there is precedent, it may serve as a model for a bill. Discovery of precedent is usually made through examination of statutes of states where legislation on the subject matter in question has been enacted. If the reformation desired is of a condition unsatisfactorily covered by an existing statute of the state where action will be undertaken, discovery of its existence is simpler and the drafting problem is one of amendment. The legal search involved and the composition of a bill require the services of a lawyer or a person otherwise qualified by training or experience. It is better that this be done before seeking a member of a legislative body to sponsor the reform objective.
Recommended Citation
McNamee, H. (1966).Use of the legislative process in protecting animals. In R.J. Chenowith (Ed.), The humane movement, 1966: Selected discussion papers of the National Leadership Conference of The Humane Society of the United States, September 24-26, 1965, (pp. 24-31).
Comments
Speakers at HSUS conferences are invited to express their personal opinions about the variety of subjects covered. The papers here published are not necessarily in agreement with policies of The HSUS.