SENATE DEMOCRATIC OFFICE RELEASE:
TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senator Jeff Van Drew which would prohibit the sale of any coat, jacket or other clothing item made of fur, without a clothing label received final legislative approval today from the full Senate by a vote of 37 to 1.
“This bill has nothing to do with whether you support or oppose wearing fur,” said Senator Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic. “Instead, this bill has everything to do with consumers’ right to know what they’re wearing – whether it’s cotton, silk, polyester, mink or dog fur. The bottom line is that there are people walking around wearing dog fur, who don’t know it. By requiring labels to contain the content of the garment, we would be giving consumers the right to determine what they put on their bodies.”
Senator Van Drew’s bill, S-2472, would require all fur items to contain a label noting the type of animal or animals that produced the fur, as well as the name of the country of origin of any imported fur used.
Violations of the bill’s provisions would be subject to penalties of $500 for a first offense, and up to $1000 for subsequent offenses.
“This bill would also address the increased number of fur imports from China. A Humane Society study found that many of these coats contain dog, raccoon dog and fox fur. The use of these furs is especially bad because many of these animals are skinned alive and often live for another 20 to 30 minutes before bleeding to death. This sort of gruesome and inhumane treatment cannot be allowed, and through this legislation, we would be doing our part to help end this type of torture,” said Senator Van Drew.
This measure now heads to the Governor’s desk, where his signature would make it State law.
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