Hunter
04/11/24
The Iowa House rejected a proposal led by Coralville Democrat Dave Jacoby to require annual inspections of dog breeding facilities by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
Iowa Capital Dispatch reports Jacoby offered an amendment to a larger agriculture policy bill, House File 2641, that would require an on-site inspection of every state-licensed dog-breeding facility every 12 months, as well as require on-site inspections if there was reasonable cause. Currently, the law says the department “may” inspect breeding facilities.
Jacoby sent a letter to Governor Reynolds last summer calling for better enforcement and oversight of the breeding facilities after over 120 dogs had to be seized from a Johnson County breeding facility due to neglect.
Republican Mike Sexton of Rockwell City, the floor manager of the Ag bill, called on lawmakers to oppose Jacoby’s amendment, saying he’s been told that the Department of Agriculture has been significantly stepping up their inspections, and time was running short to get bills to the governor’s desk.
The amendment was defeated 62-35.
Jacoby put up a social media post afterwards with the headline, “Iowa Republicans voted against puppies.” He added, “We continue our slide to number one in the nation for puppy mills. Should have been easy bipartisan vote.”
