Animal Law Workshop--Part of Shaking the Foundations Conference

Shaking the Foundations is a two-day conference at Stanford Law School. This year, we only have one Animal Law event. I hope that everyone interested can attend so that we generate enough interest to have more than one event next year.

Details on the workshop follow--please go to the website to register and learn more.

Protecting Animals Through Legislation

This workshop will address legislation that affects animals, both good and bad. Virginia Handley will talk about how she and her committee monitor legislation and inform the public of how legislators vote. She will also talk about what good legislation looks like. Some of the concerns her organization addresses are: Should the elderly be able to have companion pets in their mobile homes? Should hunters be able to shoot California's mountain lions and bobcats for "sport?" Should farmers be able to brand livestock on the face? Should restaurateurs be able to rip the shells off live turtles? Should animal abusers be released with a mere "slap on the wrist?" Should public school students be taught hunting under the guise of "safety?"

Virginia Handley is the Co-Founder of PawPAC, an animal law political action committee, run entirely by an all-volunteer Board of Directors. Ms. Handley also runs the Animal Switchboard in San Francisco, an organization that has helped thousands of people with their companion animal needs. She has been an active lobbyist and advocate for animals for the past 35 years. Ms. Handley realized that the effectiveness of animal rights advocates was being compromised by the animal rights' movement's lack of a political action committee to publish a voting chart and contribute to humane legistlators. Ms. Handley, Rose Lernberg, Eric Mills and others founded PawPAC in 1980, the first animal rights political action committee. Today, PawPAC monitors and rates all California legislators, functioning as a critical arm of the animal rights movement.