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Representative says rodeo standards bill aims to prevent animal and public‑safety incidents
Summary
Rep. Brian Scanlon urged passage of H.139 after a rodeo accident in North Attleboro in which several bulls escaped; the bill would require rodeos to follow PRCA standards to reduce public‑safety and animal‑welfare risks.
Representative Brian Scanlon testified in favor of H.139, an act relative to rodeos, after describing a fall incident in North Attleboro in which multiple bulls escaped and traveled through busy streets before most were recaptured.
Rep. Scanlon said professional wranglers with New England Rodeo of Norton assisted first responders and that the town and constituency are thankful no people were harmed. He argued the Commonwealth lacks statewide rodeo safety standards and cited the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) guidelines as a reasonable floor. "Creating a floor for rodeo standards below which operators would not be permitted to follow would add some much needed public safety and animal welfare standards to the operation of rodeos in Massachusetts," he said.
Rep. Scanlon told the committee he visited a professional operation and found it generally safe but said the incident demonstrated the need for statutory minimums. Committee members asked whether the state tracks the number of rodeos without such designation; Rep. Scanlon said the absence of state rules makes that difficult to quantify.
