Bill Aims To Keep Animal Rights Donation Dollars In Oklahoma

<p>State Rep. Brian Renegar, D-District 17, is spending a lot of time at the Capitol now, but spent the last 40 years as a veterinarian in McAlester.</p>

Monday, February 15th 2016, 11:12 pm

By: News 9


State Rep. Brian Renegar, D-District 17, is spending a lot of time at the Capitol now, but spent the last 40 years as a veterinarian in McAlester.

“I do work on all species of animals … except for skunks,” Renegar said.

That's one of the reasons he's running House Bill 2250. It would forbid animal rights groups from spending funds raised in Oklahoma on any out-of-state expenses or for political purposes.

Another reason is because of what he said happened after the Moore 2013 tornado.

He claimed the Humane Society of the United States or HSUS took advantage of the many Oklahomans concerned for lost or injured pets, raised more than a million dollars here, and only about $100,000 was actually used in our state.

Renegar also said that according to HumaneWatch.org, the HSUS devoted only one percent of its $120 million budget to grants for local animal shelters across the nation.

“So I’m hoping that people will realize that it’s their local organization that does most of the work and so they need to quit giving to a national organization,” he explained.

“Representative Renegar is actually lying about the organization that I work for in order to pass a bill that is unconstitutional,” said Cynthia Armstrong, Oklahoma Director for the HSUS.

She also said the group did not raise funds or air advertisements based on the Moore tornado. And she said their spending on animal shelters is irrelevant.

“We were never founded to run pet shelters. We were founded to take on the larger, institutional issues that are beyond the scope and reach of a local animal shelter,” she said.

State Attorney General Scott Pruitt warned of national agency fundraising back in 2014, but the HSUS said it gave him all of its advertising to prove it was not based on the Moore 2013 tornado.

However, News 9 could not reach his office Monday for comment.

House Bill 2250 is headed to the calendar for House consideration.

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