Horse registration bill not able to get out of the gate

SALEM, OR - Feb. 23, 2011 - Local legislators say the bill that would charge to register horses won't get a hearing during this session.

Lindy Minten feels like she has been kicked by the state legislative process.

Minten, a mother who lives in Scio south of Salem, said that a recent attempt to help stem horse neglect around the state has made her back away from the legislative process.

If you don’t know Minten’s name, then you probably aren’t a horse owner.

Last month, a bill was introduced in the Oregon Senate, Senate Bill 262, that has no sponsors, no hearing and if you listen to Senate leadership, no chance of ever becoming a law. It did include one thing, Minten’s name.

Her name on a bill has created a “firestorm” for her family. She says she is being threatened and unfairly portrayed all over the Internet.

The bill that caused the issues is 15 pages long and outlines everything from establishing a horse registration program with a no more than $100 fee, dictates how long horses can be transported, to even establishing a horse trader permit system.

Minten said last week that when she submitted her idea to a senator, it was two pages long and simply contained thoughts about stemming the tide of horse neglect and addressing the graft she says exists in the horse rescue business. She thought the bill would be worked on in committee and maybe not even make it to the Senate floor. She hoped it would be massaged until the next legislative session more than a year away. Minten was uncomfortable naming the senator that helped her, saying she didn’t want him to feel any backlash.