Legislation & Regulation
Will equine vets be able to legally serve the needs of their patients?
by Ann E, Dwyer, DVM, president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners The American Association of Equine Practitioners Welfare and Public Policy Advisory Council is working with the American Veterinary Medical Association and Congress to ensure that veterinarians can provide complete care to their animal patients. The recent introduction of the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act of [...]
H-2B Visa Application Process Temporarily Suspended
From the American Horse Council, 4/8/13 On April 2, 2013, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it has temporarily suspended processing most petitions for new H-2B temporary non-agricultural workers. This announcement was in response to a court decision issuing a permanent injunction against certain parts of the current Department of Labor (DOL) rule governing [...]
Gas Taxes, Sunday Hunting & More
UPDATE 4:16 p.m. Friday, March 29, 2013: Today, the gas tax bill (HB 1515) cleared the Maryland General Assembly and will now go before the Governor. To find out who voted and how they voted, click here. Original Post: Maryland horse people may be “farm bodies,” but –-as an industry–-we are road warriors. We are [...]
Expanded Sunday Hunting in Carroll & Queen Anne’s could happen
Yesterday was a frantic day for the Maryland General Assembly – and not because it was a snow day, and not because it was Holy Monday – although it is a legislative high holy day, for sure. Yesterday was “Crossover Day:” any bills the either the House or the Senate intend to pass must to [...]
Maryland should preserve the Contributory Negligence Liability Standard in Lawsuits
The Maryland horse industry, indeed, the Maryland business community as a whole, works hard to maintain Maryland’s standards of liability, which are supportive of landowner and business owners in the face of frivolous liability lawsuits. (For an excellent primer on Maryland’s liability and negligence standards, and how they affect the horse industry, please click here [...]
Sunday Hunting: Creeping next door to you?
The 2013 Maryland General Assembly is in full swing, and it will hear about 2,000 bills in a period of 90 days. Buried in those bills are lots of little Easter Eggs – not all of them positive for horse people. This year’s docket features several bills to expand deer hunting in Maryland. Below is [...]
Marylanders Asked to Provide DNR with Equine Recreational Use Information
Do you compete at Rosaryville or Fair Hill? Ride at Tuckahoe or the League of Maryland Horsemen (Marriottsville)? Do you foxchase in the Patuxent or the Patapsco? Trail ride just about anywhere in this state? The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is asking citizens for their input on State outdoor recreation facilities and services [...]
Senators whack WSSC wrists; Trail Riders Victorious!
In January of this year, WSSC published its proposed revised regulations regarding equestrian trail access (see “Are WSSC’s new fees and rules for trail riders punitive?”) Clearly they were absurd and a backdoor attempt to ban trail riding in the watersheds. Over 60 people attended the WSSC hearing on Jan. 24, 2013 to protest the [...]
Tractorcade Protest To Invade Annapolis on Feb. 12; All are invited!
In 2012, to the howls and protests of landowners and farmers across the state, the Maryland General Assembly passed Senate Bill 236 (a.k.a. “The Septic Bill”), which was then duly signed into law by Governor Martin O’Malley. (To learn more, scroll down.) And now the tractors are ready to roll. On Tues. February 12, 2013, [...]
New fed requirements for moving horses across state lines; Maryland working on mid-Atlantic Alternative
Beginning March 11, 2013, traveling across state lines with horses will become more involved. Below is an explanatory article courtesy of the American Horse Council. Recognizing that Marylanders travel on a regular basis across state lines in the mid-Atlantic area, Maryland State Veterinarian Guy Hohenhaus, with the guidance of the Maryland Equine Health Advisory Committee [...]
