Sponsor and animal‑welfare groups back HB 335 to require a statewide pet disaster plan
Loading...
Summary
HB 335 would require the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to prepare a statewide pet and service‑animal disaster plan (evacuation, transport, temporary sheltering, reunification ID system and public information). Supporters said it would reduce confusion and improve evacuations; the committee set an amendment deadline and set the bill aside for future action.
Representative Ted Eisheid introduced House Bill 335 as a measure to improve the state’s capacity to evacuate, shelter and reunify pets and service animals during disasters. "House bill 335 addresses emergency plans for the rescue, safeguard, and reunification of pets and service animals," Eisheid said, noting lessons learned from recent storms and typhoons.
Aaron Callahan, staff to Representative Eisheid, walked the committee through the bill’s sections: an exemption for out‑of‑state veterinarians to assist during declared disasters; a statutory duty for the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHS&EM) to prepare and maintain a pet and service‑animal disaster emergency plan; procedures to identify shelters that accept animals; authorization for properly contained animals to use public transportation during emergencies; and an identification and reunification system plus a public information program.
Kelly Donnelly, executive director of the Alaska SPCA, testified in support and described operational gaps observed during a recent response in Bethel: delays in decisions, confusion over rules, overwhelmed local shelter capacity and reunification challenges. "When systems don't account for that, compliance with evacuation orders drops and risk increases for everyone," Donnelly said.
Lisa Kaufman, reading testimony for Tiffany Deaton of Best Friends Animal Society, said the bill integrates animal‑welfare expertise into emergency planning and would improve coordination among state and local partners during rapid evacuations. Dr. Sarah Coburn, the state veterinarian, told the committee identification practices and microchipping are variable across the state and that a standardized approach would improve reunification but could pose access challenges in rural areas without microchipping services.
Committee members questioned the bill’s scope and the proposed identification system, capacity for working animals (horses, sled dogs), and a fiscal note tied to an assistant state veterinarian position. Representative Kerrick and others pressed for detail on whether working animals would qualify (the sponsor said current statutory definitions exclude some working animals) and whether the assistant state veterinarian position is necessary.
What happens next: the committee set an amendment deadline for April 21 at 5 p.m. and set HB 335 aside for future consideration.
