Measuring Success for Animals in Maryland

Last night, I joined more than a hundred Maryland animal advocates and several state legislators gathered at a waterside restaurant in Annapolis to unveil the new Maryland Humane Scorecard and to recognize lawmakers who have been longtime champions of animal protection legislation. This event brought together feral cat rescuers, equine enthusiasts, wildlife protectors, and other animal lovers from around Maryland who want to help build a powerful political force for animals in the Free State. We distributed the hot-off-the-presses Maryland Humane Scorecard, which is a joint project of the Humane Society Legislative Fund and Maryland Votes for Animals, and will be an invaluable tool for animal advocates in the state.

We published this report to assess the support of Maryland state legislators on a broad range of animal protection issues over the 2007-2010 legislative sessions. The scorecard provides an easy way for Maryland residents to judge how their state senators and delegates have acted on animal protection measures and helps chart the progress of our public policy work on behalf of animals. Maryland citizens who care about animal protection can use this tool to find out if their elected lawmakers are representing their views in Annapolis, and to help advance the work in the state capitol in coming years to protect pets, wildlife, and farm animals from cruelty and abuse.

While there is still much to accomplish for animal protection in Maryland, there is also much to celebrate. Of the 188 members of the state legislature scored, 40 received perfect 100 percent ratings—indicating support for all scored bills. Six perfect-scoring members serve in the Senate and 34 in the House. Across both houses, 117 of the 188 members received scores of at least 75 percent; only 12 legislators scored less than 50 percent. It’s a major marker for our cause when more than one-fifth of all legislators in a state sided with animals every single time over the course of four years, and most legislators sided with animals at least three-quarters of the time.

Additionally, eight lawmakers went above and beyond and received a score of 100%+, indicating they not only voted to support animal protection legislation when they had the opportunity, but they also sponsored measures to help animals. These eight legislators were recognized last night as true champions for the animals, and I give them my special thanks: Sens. Catherine Pugh, D-Baltimore City; Jamie Raskin, D-Montgomery County; and Norman Stone, D-Baltimore County; and Delegates Jon Cardin, D-Baltimore County; Virginia Clagett, D-Anne Arundel County; Tom Hucker, D-Montgomery County; Wade Kach, R-Baltimore and Carroll Counties; and James Malone, D-Baltimore and Howard Counties.

During the last four legislative sessions in Maryland, new laws have been enacted to protect the diamondback terrapin, to strengthen penalties for attending animal fights, to ensure shelters have the drugs needed to euthanize animals humanely, and to allow the creation of pet trusts to provide lifelong care for companion animals. In addition to these new laws, Maryland lawmakers were scored for their actions on a wide range of legislation, including bills to prevent the continuous chaining of dogs, to require labeling of garments containing animal fur, and to stop the use of cruel and inhumane traps to kill wildlife.

We have much to celebrate, but more work to be done. We will continue fighting for the passage of animal protection bills in Maryland and across the country in the legislative sessions ahead. If you live in Maryland, I hope you will see how your own legislators are doing for animals and use this new tool to evaluate their performance.