Today, the Illinois House, voting along party lines, passed legislation to make it a Class B misdemeanor to pet a bear or a non-human primate. The legislation was drafted to “address the public safety and animal cruelty concerns associated with the public handling and show of these animals being used as props and business commodities.”
With Democrats leading the way, the measure was approved on a vote of 73-35.
House Republicans, considering the bill as a penalty enhancement, refused to vote for the bill due to the fact House Democrats have refused to even call a Republican bill that gives DCFS workers the same protection from harm on the job as police officers and firefighters. Democrats consider the DCFS bill a penalty enhancement and refuse to bring it to the floor for a vote.
House Republican Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna), who has been trying to pass the DCFS bill since 2017, spoke about the issue on the House floor during debate on the bill, pointing to the two DCFS workers murdered on the job and how Democrats have voted for penalty enhancements in their own bills. Attached are her comments.
