City Councilman Chris Seelbach plans to draft a motion that will take out breed-discriminatory language targeting pit bulls and harshen punishments for negligent owners in Cincinnati.
Seelbach on April 9 tweeted, “Taking first steps to repeal Pit Bull ban in Cincinnati. Will have motion drafted for Council signatures later this week.”
Seelbach told CityBeat that he made a pledge to work to repeal the ban on pit bulls in Cincinnati when he took office in December and has met with stakeholders in the past to discuss new policy strategies.
Seelbach’s move comes less than a week after CityBeat’s April 4 cover story, “Losing Fight,” which investigated problems with Cincinnati’s breed-specific legislation, which has banned ownership of pit bulls within Cincinnati city limits since 2003.
In February, Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed Substitute House Bill 14, which removed a breed-discriminatory clause automatically declaring pit bulls as “vicious,” subjecting owners to high insurance premiums, fines and discrimination. However, because Cincinnati is a charter city with the power to make its own home rules, the bill was irrelevant for Cincinnati pit bull owners.
Once Seelbach drafts the motion, he’ll need to obtain a minimum of five signatures from other City Council members. Once the signatures are successfully obtained, Seelbach says the motion will most likely go before the city’s public safety committee. If it passes, the motion could go before council for an official vote.
