Bad Bill of the Year Tournament

Out of nearly 3,000 bills introduced in the legislature this year, Civitas nominated SB460 among its 32 Bad Bills of the Year. Civitas described SB460 as follows:

"With the introduction of SB 460 by Sen. Don Davis (D-Greene), (Identical Bill HB 460 by Representatives Jeffus(D- Guilford); Dickson (D- Cumberland); Harrison (D- Guilford) yet another branch of the extremist animal rights movement has surfaced in North Carolina.

While current statute already outlaws animal cruelty, SB 460 would have a huge impact on anyone who owns pets, hunts or breeds dogs by inserting the state into the breeding of dogs. The bill would add a new licensure regime and impose fees on breeders while also threatening them with a $1,000 fine.

While adding to the regulatory power of the state this bill will also increase the size of the state bureaucracy by adding more taxpayer funded positions. According to Fiscal Research, those positions and other estimated expenses will cost taxpayers almost $250,000 the first year and more than $400,000 a year after the first year."

SB460 fought its way thru to the Elite Eight Tournament Round where it was felled by SB848, a bill to allow admission of illegal immigrants to public institutions of higher education - which as of this posting appears to be the Tournament Winner.