Top 5 2017 Resolutions to Give Animals a Political Voice in PA!

Humane PA  is publishing its top 5 New Year’s Resolutions in the hopes that you will incorporate them with your own resolutions.  Together, we hope to make a meaningful difference for animals in Pennsylvania by passing  a record number of  laws IN 2017 to protect animals from cruel acts. Let’s all pledge that in 2017,  we will pass more humane legislation, engage more legislators, and continue to increase the influence of the animal vote. We can’t do it without you – so here are our suggested resolutions:

1. I will respond to EVERY legislative action alert from Humane PA, as well as other animal groups working on policy in Pennsylvania.   When a bill is moving, a telephone call or email to a legislator’s office is EXTREMELY important. A call from you, the constituent, can make the difference between whether your legislator is a yes or a no vote on bills impacting animals, and there have been issues we lost by ONE vote.
2. I will utilize social media to engage more people and to increase the visibility of the animal vote.   To help engage more advocates in public policy, increase the visibility of the animal vote, please share posts on your own Facebook pages, and your friends’ pages, as well as to groups you belong to, and retweet Humane PA tweets too.
3. I will thank our legislators each time they cosponsor or support a humane bill. It is important to let them know that we are watching and we appreciate when they vote humanely. A thank you goes a long way.
4. I will recruit friends, family, coworkers, and everyone else I know who cares about animals to get involved in public policy.  Invite your friends to join the Humane PA community on Facebook, sign up to get Humane PA e-newsletters and alerts and regularly visiting the Humane PA website, which is full of resources to help advocates effectively make a difference.
5. I will remind myself that one person can make a difference for animals and that our voices matter. Your phone call, email, visit, or letter can be what influences your legislator to support a piece of humane legislation or oppose a bad bill.

These resolutions are easily doable. Many of our resolutions can be fulfilled in two minutes – 2 minute actions that can yield huge results! We have already seen tangible proof that our actions are impacting the political climate: A record number of animal related bills were introduced in 2015/16; the numbers of co-sponsors for humane legislation are increasing; candidates are issuing position statements on the humane treatment of animals; legislators are posting animal concerns and events on their Facebook pages and websites; legislators are contacting many of you, their constituents, to ask your position on bills; the list goes on and on, demonstrating that your voice, and ours, matter.

2017 has enormous potential to improve the lives of animals – as a new legislative session begins.  It is time to pass stronger and more bills and to also defeat the bills that will cause more animal suffering. With many new legislators, it is up to us to help educate them about anti-cruelty legislation. Every lawmaker in the state should understand that their voters care deeply about the humane treatment of animals and expect their elected officials to do so also. We hope you will incorporate our resolutions into your daily lives to help create as much positive change for animals as possible in 2017.

Happy New Year!