Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Senate committee passes SB593 with amendments to regulate commercial dog breeders; counties to enforce
Loading...
Summary
SB593 would define and regulate commercial dog breeders, set care standards, caps, recordkeeping and empower counties to implement licensing; committee adopted amendments and noted need for enforcement funding.
SB593, a bill to define and regulate commercial dog breeders, set minimum care standards, cap numbers of intact adult dogs, require recordkeeping, and authorize county licensing and enforcement, was advanced by the Senate committee on Feb. 10, 2025.
Testimony in support included the Hawaiian Humane Society and multiple animal-advocacy organizations; the Hawaiian Humane Society’s Steph Kendrick urged regulation of pet-animal breeding and recommended adding enforcement funding because the bill creates a statewide regulatory regime enforced by counties without an identified funding source. The American Kennel Club submitted written comments proposing textual edits; committee staff said they would adopt the AKC’s suggested change from an “or” to an “and” in a key provision.
Opponents and commenters included representatives of some breeders and private individuals who submitted written opposition. The committee adopted amendments (including the AKC language change) and defected the effective date to July 1, 2050. Senators discussed concerns about impacts on working dog breeders and urged careful drafting to avoid unintended consequences for agricultural and working-animal operations.
Committee members also flagged that counties will need resources to enforce licensing and recordkeeping requirements; the Hawaiian Humane Society asked the Legislature to add enforcement funding. The bill as amended was passed out of committee for further consideration.
