U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., has been a remarkable leader on animal welfare issues during his career. In the wake of his announcement that he would not seek re-election in November, The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund thank him for his work to protect animals. Moran is the co-chair of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, and he helped to shepherd a raft of animal protection legislation through the Congress, including just this week language in the omnibus 2014 spending bill to prevent the re-establishment of horse slaughter plants on U.S. soil.
Michael Markarian, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund, said: “Jim Moran has been a leader on animal protection issues for years, and it’s so difficult to imagine our work without him. He has been at the forefront of so many of the most pressing issues affecting animals – from banning horse slaughter to curbing dogfighting and cockfighting to cracking down on the sale of dog and cat fur in the U.S.”
Among Rep. Moran’s accomplishments on animal protection issues:
- He was the lead sponsor of the Truth in Fur Labeling Act, which was enacted in 2010, closing a loophole in federal law that previously allowed many garments trimmed with animal fur to be sold without labels and falsely advertised as “faux.”
- He was the lead sponsor of an amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations bill prohibiting the U.S. Department of Agriculture from spending funds to inspect horse slaughter plants. Moran’s amendment was included in the omnibus spending bill released this week, and will prevent horse slaughter plants from opening in the U.S.
- As the Ranking Member of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, he has worked to improve the Bureau of Land Management’s wild horse and burro program, and promote more humane and cost-effective management through fertility control.
- He is a lead sponsor of the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, which would make it a federal crime to attend or bring a child to a dogfight or cockfight. This language has been included in the 2013 Farm Bill.
- He received the 2010 Humane Legislator of the Year Award from The Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Legislative Fund.
- He has also been centrally involved in efforts to stop bear baiting on federal lands, to crack down on indiscriminate, federally funded predator control, to eliminate horse soring, to halt the trade in powerful wild animals as exotic pets, and to stop so many other forms of cruelty.
Media Contact: Heather Sullivan, 240.477.2251; hsullivan@humanesociety.org
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The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a social welfare organization incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and formed in 2004 as a separate lobbying affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The HSLF works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office. Visit us on all our channels: on the web at hslf.org, on our blog at animalsandpolitics.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/humanelegislation and on Twitter at twitter.com/HSLegFund.
