SARL Members and Alumni

California pet stores soon will be allowed to sell dogs, cats and rabbits only if they come from shelters or non-profit rescue organizations.Under legislation going into effect on January 1, store operators also will have to be able to provide records of origin for the animals or face a $500 penalty per animal.The Pet Rescue and Adoption Act was introduced by assembly member Patrick O'Donnell and signed into law by California Governor Jerry Brown in October 2017.Under the law, individuals are still allowed to buy from private breeders, but stores are prohibited from doing so. [node:read-more:link]

Democratic Lieutenant Governor-elect Lynn Rogers says he’s encouraged that the Kansas House has formed a new Rural Revitalization Committee and looks forward to working with its Republican chairman. [node:read-more:link]

Boris Calderon was not your typical medical student. At 45 years old, the Army veteran lived in Fayetteville and worked as a paramedic when he applied for only one medical school: a college of osteopathic medicine in Virginia. And when Calderon finished medical school and was looking for a post-graduate residency program in 2015, Southeastern Regional Medical Center in Lumberton was beginning its program for medical residents. He signed up and was part of the first graduating class earlier this year. Calderon found the residency at Southeastern to be extremely hands on. [node:read-more:link]

Governor-elect Gretchen Whitmer announced Thursday that she has filled a wide range of cabinet members and department heads in preparation for her official swearing-in ceremony. That announcement included a familiar name for many in the Eastern Upper Peninsula as lifelong Rudyard resident Gary McDowell has been tapped to head the incoming administration’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.Gary, along with brothers, Bob and Ron, are the owners and operators of McDowell Brothers Farm and McDowell Hay, Inc. [node:read-more:link]

Thirteen states suing Massachusetts filed a brief petitioning the U.S. Supreme to hear their case this week. “This case affects every producer, distributor, and consumer of eggs, pork, and veal in the country, and it implicates fundamental constitutional principles of horizontal federalism and interstate comity,” the brief filed on Wednesday reads. “The Court should hear it.”The brief pertains to whether the Bay State’s animal cruelty law impinges on the rights of other states under the Constitution’s Commerce Clause. [node:read-more:link]

Water managers from seven Southwestern states that depend on the Colorado River for drinking and irrigation water are getting closer to finalizing an unprecedented drought contingency plan they may have to enact in 2020, officials said. [node:read-more:link]

Large dairies would be classified as industrial facilities and subject to new restrictions under two bills to be considered by Oregon lawmakers next year. At a Dec. [node:read-more:link]

Michigan legislators were poised Tuesday to remove legal protections from many of the state’s wetlands and other inland waterways, which provide wildlife habitat and perform vital tasks such as preventing floods. A bill approved by a House committee would eliminate a requirement to obtain state permits before dredging, filling or otherwise degrading many waterways.A floor vote was expected Wednesday. [node:read-more:link]

The first majority-female legislature in the country will convene in Carson City in February after a series of recent appointments. The Nevada Legislature will have 32 women and 31 men, with 23 women in the 42-member Assembly and nine in the 21-member Senate. [node:read-more:link]

Wisconsin's Dairy Task Force recently passed two proposals aimed at shoring up the state's dairy industry, which is losing hundreds of farms each year. We talk to the director of the task force about why loans to farmers and more funding for education and research are considered so important. Nine subcommittees presented their findings at the meeting, and two brought forward proposals to boost farmers and stimulate innovation in the industry. On a vote, both proposals passed. [node:read-more:link]