Chicago
Friday, March 6, 2020
ISBA Regional Office
20 S. Clark Street, Suite 900
8:10 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Program Agenda
8:10 – 8:15 a.m. Welcome and Introductions
8:15 – 9:15 a.m. Puppy Mill Update
This presentation offers an update on the continuing prevalence of breeders who profit by maintaining animals in seriously substandard conditions and who sell the animals strictly as a commodity. Topics include: the concentrated locations around Illinois where puppy mills operate; the steps being taken by national, regional, and local non-profits to confront the phenomenon of these breeders; which efforts have been successful in combating the puppy mill problem; how laws are being enforced; and the impact of retail sales being banned in Illinois and across the nation, including legal action to address sham rescue suppliers.
Mindi Callison, Bailing Out Benji, Iowa
Anthony Eliseuson, Senior Staff Attorney, Animal Legal Defense Fund, Chicago
9:15 – 10:30 a.m. Farm Animals and Slaughter: Hidden Cruelty and Killing
Don’t miss this opportunity to get a firsthand look at a modern industrial slaughterhouse, including its work and conditions, as well as society’s penchant for hiding violent labor practices. Professor Pachirat, author of Every Twelve Seconds, Industrialized Slaughter and the Politics of Sight , discusses his recent research and writings on collective complicity in industrialized animal agriculture using the case study of a worker suicide. A discussion on civil litigation on behalf of farm animals is also included. Additional topics include: the lawyer’s role in effecting change for farmed animals; recent case law studies; the role of undercover investigations in animal law; the mistreatment of animals through litigation; comparative impacts of litigation and policy; and the specific areas of law that present opportunities for the growth of litigation on behalf of farmed animals.
Cheryl Leahy, Executive Vice President, Animal Outlook, Washington, D.C.
10:30 – 10:45 a.m. Break (beverages provided)
10:45 – 11:30 a.m. Spotlight on Horse Racing
Horse racing has long been in the scopes of animal welfare organization, but the 2019 Santa Anita racehorse deaths resulted in a nationwide outcry against the sport. In the thick of this scrutiny, Illinois enacted a new gaming bill that bolsters horse racing at the state’s three remaining tracks (Fairmont, Hawthorne, and Arlington) by allowing additional gaming at the tracks in an effort to increase race purses, ends the practice of recapture, and paves the way for another harness track in Cook County. Join us for a look at the horse racing industry, a discussion on the Santa Anita racehorse deaths, and an overview of the ongoing legislative and regulatory reform in the industry, including the Horseracing Integrity Act (HR 1754).
Elisabeth Custalow, Manager of Regulatory Affairs, PETA Foundation, Washington, D.C.
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Lunch (provided)
12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Illinois’ Top Legislation Ranking
This panel presentation features State legislators who have championed recent animal protection measures and provides insight into the legislative process on these matters. Learn how strategy affects the outcome, who the stakeholders are, and the considerations that go into implementing animal protection legislation in Illinois.
Moderator: Ledy VanKavage, Sr. Legislative Attorney, Best Friends Animal Society, Maryville
Senator Linda Holmes, 42 nd District, Aurora
Rep. Stephanie Kifowit , 84th District, Aurora
Rep. Diane Pappas, 45 th District, Bloomingdale
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. New Law: Application of the “Well-Being of the Companion Animal” in Marriage Dissolution
Don’t miss this opportunity to listen as practitioners and judges discuss their impression of the new law, approaches they anticipate to apply it, and the issues they have identified. A discussion on the potential need for a trailer bill that might provide consistent definitions and other clarifications is included.
Moderator/Speaker: Hon. William E. Holdridge, Third Appellate District, Peoria
Senator Linda Holmes, 42 nd District, Aurora
Hon. Alfred L. Levinson , Retired Associate Judge, Arlington Heights
Angela E. Peters, Buffalo Grove Law Offices, Arlington Heights
2:00 – 2:45 p.m. The Pet Insurance Industry
The U.S. pet insurance industry has been growing 15-20% each year for the past five years. Among this growth, Nationwide and Trupanion have the greatest share in the market, with employee benefit packages being the fastest growing form of distribution. In August 2010, the Illinois Department of Insurance issued a Pet Health Insurance Fact Sheet, while the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NACI) completed A Regulator’s Guide to Pet Insurance in the summer of 2019, with final touches being made on their proposed Pet Insurance Model Act in October 2019. This segment examines the NACI guide and the Model Act, and also discusses the recent development in the pet insurance industry.
Lynne Hennessey, Director of Compliance, Nationwide Insurance, California
Jules Benson, Veterinary Relations, Nationwide Insurance, California
2:45 – 3:00 p.m. Break (refreshments provided)
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Police Shooting the Household Dog
Over the past decade, Chicago police fired their guns at dogs a total of 700 times, killing an average of two dogs every week throughout one five-year span. A $750,000 settlement resulted in St. Louis County after the SWAT team raided a house over a missed gas bill and ended up killing the family’s dog. Texas saw a 90% decrease in dog shootings after mandatory animal encounter training was implemented. This presentation discusses the American Bar Association’s work in urging units of government to require police training in this area, and shows how this type of training has proven to reduce the number of dogs being shot by officers.
Daniel J. Kolde, Kolde Law, St. Louis
Chris Green, Executive Director, Animal Law & Policy Program, Harvard Law School, Massachusetts
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. The Rise of Aquatic Animal Law: Lewis & Clark Launches First Initiative
The program closes with a comprehensive look at aquatic animal law issues – from Canada’s recently passed legislation that bans whales, dolphins, and porpoises from being bred or held in captivity, to how National Geographic brought the plight of betta fish into the limelight which inspired a class action lawsuit by a Lewis & Clark graduate that resulted in two of the three pet industry defendants agreeing to no longer sell betta fish in small containers. The Lewis & Clark’s Aquatic Animal Law Initiative is also explored throughout this informative segment.
Prof. Kathy Hessler, Clinical Professor of Law and Animal Law Clinic Director, Lewis & Clark Law School, Oregon
Prof. Becca Franks , Visiting Assistant Professor, New York University, New York
