Animal Legislation
Massachusetts: Help Animal Fighting Bill Pass Senate
The Massachusetts House recently voted to crack down on animal fighting! The House passed H. 1765, which prohibits breeding animals for fighting and authorizes the seizure and forfeiture of animal fighting paraphernalia and animals used for breeding. The Massachusetts legislative session ends soon, so it is urgent that the Senate take action on this bill immediately.
TAKE ACTION: Please call and email your state senator and urge him or her to support H. 1765 and crack down on animal fighting. Go to the following website for more information- https://community.hsus.org/campaign/MA_2006_animalfighting_2/
Protecting Our Pets
When disasters like Hurricane Katrina strike, many people are forced to leave their pets behind. Following recent Congressional action on the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act, S. 2548 and H.R. 3858, President Bush signed the historic legislation into law, ensuring Americans are not faced with this terrible choice again. The PETS Act requires state and local agencies to include pets in their disaster plans. The Antifreeze Bittering Act, S. 1110 and H.R. 2567, would add a bittering agent to engine coolant and antifreeze to prevent children and animals from being poisoned. The Pet Safety and Protection Act, S. 451 and H.R. 5229, would stop shady "Class B" dealers from stealing pets and acquiring them from "free to a good home" ads to be sold to animal research facilities. The Pet Animal Welfare Statute of 2005 (PAWS), S. 1139 and H.R. 2669, will provide oversight and better care for animals in "puppy mills"—mass-breeding operations—and will ban imports of puppy mill dogs into the United States.
Ensuring the Humane Treatment of Farm Animals
The Downed Animal Protection Act, S. 1779 and H.R. 3931 establishes a permanent ban on the slaughter of downed livestock—animals too sick or injured to stand are walk on their own. Poultry represent 95% of animals slaughtered in the United States, but they're not covered by the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act. The law should be amended to assure that poultry are rendered insensible to pain prior to being killed. And we are supporting the Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act, H.R. 555, which would require that the federal government lead by example and purchase meat, dairy, and eggs from producers who raise farm animals more humanely.
Protecting Horses from Slaughter
Last year, nearly 100,000 American horses were either killed at one of three U.S. slaughterhouses for export or shipped to Canada or Mexico for slaughter. Congress approved an amendment to stop horse slaughter during 2006. Unfortunately, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is moving forward with a plan that ignores this Congressional mandate. This surprise move underscores the need for the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, S. 1915 and H.R. 503, which will permanently prohibit the transport, possession, purchase, or sale of horses to be slaughtered for human consumption. H.R. 503 recently passed the House by a 263-146 margin and now it's time for the Senate to act. Two bills, S. 576 and H.R. 29, will reinstate protection from slaughter for wild horses which was stripped at the end of 2004. To find out more information on any of these issues, go to http://www.hsus.org/legislation_laws/
Massachusetts: Protect Elephants in Circuses from Cruel Treatment
The Massachusetts Senate passed S. 2699, sponsored by Senator Robert Hedlund. This legislation makes it illegal to use any implement, such as a bullhook or ankus that may reasonably result in harm to an elephant, including but not limited to the damage, scarring, or breakage of an elephant’s skin and prohibit chaining or similarly restraining an elephant. On July 31, S. 2699 passed the Senate. Please contact your representative today!
TAKE ACTION: Please make a brief polite phone call to your state representative and urge him or her to support S. 2699 to provide for humane treatment of elephants in circuses. https://community.hsus.org/campaign/MA_2005_circuses4
New Jersey: Alternatives to Animal Testing
The New Jersey legislature is considering an important animal protection bill that could save millions of animal lives. The "Alternatives Bill" (A. 909 and S. 1956) would prohibit using traditional animal testing methods for product testing when federally recommended alternatives exist. In 2005, the New Jersey Assembly voted unanimously to pass this bill, but it failed to pass in the Senate. This year, the bill has been approved by an Assembly Committee (A. 909) and has been introduced in the Senate (S. 1956). With your help, this measure can pass both chambers in the 2006 session.
TAKE ACTION Please take a moment today to call your Assemblymember(s) and Senator(s) and urge them to support this measure. Go to the following website for more information: https://community.hsus.org/campaign/NJ_2006_support_alternatives
