BILL NUMBER: ACR 150ENROLLED BILL TEXT ADOPTED IN SENATE JUNE 2, 2016 ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 7, 2016 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 7, 2016 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Atkins (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Maienschein) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Alejo, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Chang, Chau, Chvez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Hadley, Harper, Roger Hernndez, Holden, Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Linder, Lopez, Mathis, McCarty, Medina, Mullin, Nazarian, O'Donnell, Olsen, Quirk, Rendon, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wilk, Williams, and Wood) MARCH 7, 2016 Relative to prevention of cruelty to animals. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 150, Atkins. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. This measure would commend the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on the celebration of its 150th anniversary and for the myriad contributions it has made to the health and well-being of animals nationwide and would extend best wishes for continued success in the future. WHEREAS, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is celebrating its 150th anniversary on April 10, 2016, and it is appropriate at this time to highlight its many achievements as North America's first humane society and underscore the positive impact it has made throughout the State of California and across the nation; and WHEREAS, The ASPCA was founded by Henry Bergh in 1866 on the belief that protecting animals was an issue that crossed party lines and class boundaries; and WHEREAS, Motivated to act after witnessing the regular beating, abuse, and overworking of cart horses, Henry Bergh made a commanding moral and legal case to protect animals, and in so doing, persuaded prominent leaders of the time, including members of the Rockefeller family, to support him in enacting the first anti-cruelty law in the United States; and WHEREAS, Henry Bergh personally fought for animal welfare on New York City streets, as well as in the courtroom, regularly inspecting slaughter houses, working with police to close down dog fighting pits, lecturing at schools, and operating the nation's first ambulance for overworked horses that frequently collapsed from dehydration and exhaustion; and WHEREAS, Henry Bergh's outspoken crusade on behalf of animals inspired those activists seeking to protect abused children to establish the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the first child protective agency in the world, for which he served as a founding vice president; and WHEREAS, By 1888, the year Henry Bergh died, 37 of the country's then 38 states had passed animal anti-cruelty laws, and the ASPCA today continues his legacy by working to enhance laws to protect animals by advocating nationally for the strongest possible protections for animals; helping animals in crisis by responding to requests for assistance by law enforcement and emergency response agencies around the country; and, since 2008, providing $93 million in grants to various partners nationwide, including over $12.3 million to organizations throughout California in support of programs in line with its mission; and WHEREAS, Since its founding, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has evolved into a dynamic voice for improving the quality of life for animals throughout the United States; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals be commended on celebrating its 150th anniversary and for the myriad contributions it has made to the health and well-being of animals nationwide and wished the best for continued success in the future.