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Supports pet safety and protection
In 1966, Congress passed
the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) authorizing the Secretary of Agriculture to set
and enforce standards protecting animals used in biomedical research, bred for
commercial sale, exhibited to the public, or commercially transported from
inhumane treatment. Despite the efforts of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) to enforce the AWA, it has failed to provide reliable protection against
the actions of some unethical animal dealers.
That is why I am a
cosponsor of the Pet Safety and
Protection Act (H.R. 1280) , which would ensure that all dogs and cats used
by research facilities are obtained legally. Prohibits dealers from selling or
otherwise providing a research facility with random source dogs or cats unless
specified certification requirements are met.
Opposes animal fighting
In the United States,
dog fighting is illegal in all 50 states and cockfighting is illegal in 48
states. Additionally, the interstate transportation or export of dogs and
cocks for fighting purposes is prohibited under the federal Animal Welfare
Act. To close existing loopholes in federal animal fighting law, I voted
in favor of the Animal
Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act (H.R. 137) which would make it a
felony to transport animals across state lines for fighting purposes. On
March 26, 2007, it passed the House by a vote of 368 to 39 and the Senate
passed the bill on April 10, 2007. The bill was signed into law by the
President on May 3, 2007.
Objects to the inhumane treatment
of downed animals
According to the USDA,
downer animals are non-ambulatory animals or animals that cannot stand or walk
unassisted. Currently, ill or injured animals in stockyards are often left on
the ground to be brought to slaughter at a later time. In some cases, the
downed animals die in the stockyard. I have cosponsored H.R. 661, the
Downed Animal Protection Act that would make it unlawful for any stockyard
owner, market agency, or dealer to transfer or market non-ambulatory cattle,
sheep, swine, horses, mules, or goats. The Downed Animal Protection Act would
also require that the downed animals be humanely euthanized at stockyards.
Opposes the inhumane slaughter
of horses and burros
On December 8, 2004, President
Bush signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2005 into
law. This bill included a provision that repealed the Wild Free-Roaming
Horses and Burros Act (Public Law 92-195) that Congress passed in 1971.
For over thirty years, the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act protected
wild free-roaming horses and burros on public lands from capture, branding,
harassment and slaughter. You will be pleased to know that on April 26,
2007, I voted in favor of H.R. 249 ,
which would restore the prohibition on the commercial sale and slaughter of
wild free-roaming horses and burros. The bill passed in the House by a vote of
277 to 137 and it has been sent to the Senate where it awaits further action.
I am also a cosponsor of
the American
Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503), which would ban the slaughter of
horses for human consumption. The bill has been referred to the House Energy
and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection and the
House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry where it awaits
further action.
Animal welfare funding
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) is charged with enforcing the Animal Welfare Act and the
Humane Methods of Slaughter Act. These laws require basic protections for
millions of animals at more than 13,000 sites across the country, including
medical laboratories, zoos, commercial breeding facilities, and
slaughterhouses. In addition, the National Veterinary Medical Service Act
(NVMSA) was created to provide loan forgiveness for veterinary students and new
graduates who agree to work in underserved areas, in underserved population
groups, and in underserved disciplines of veterinary practice. I have signed a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related
Agencies requesting sustained funding for these key animal welfare laws, $1
million to continue funding the pilot program authorized by the NVMSA, and $1
million for public health practice addressing disease outbreaks and disasters
for fiscal year 2008.
Additional Information
The Animal Welfare Act:
Background and Selected Legislation
Brief Summaries of Federal
Animal Protection Statutes
Connecticut
Animal Control Division
Connecticut
Wildlife Division
USDA
Animal Care
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