The animals lost a true champion in Congress today, and The HSUS and HSLF lost a great friend, with the passing of five-term U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., who was the Senate’s oldest member at 89.
Throughout his nearly five terms in the Senate, Sen. Lautenberg had not only introduced animal protection legislation but had been responsible for shepherding several of these federal policies to passage. In 2000, Congress adopted some provisions of Lautenberg's bill, the Safe Air Travel for Animals Act, to make flying friendlier for dogs and cats. The law requires airlines to improve animal care training for baggage handlers and to produce monthly reports of all incidents involving animal loss, injury, or death so consumers can compare safety records.
In 2006, Congress passed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act, which Sen. Lautenberg co-authored with the late Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. Introduced in response to the tragedy of thousands of animals being lost or abandoned during Hurricane Katrina, the PETS Act requires state and local communities to take into account the needs of pets and service animals in their disaster planning, and allows FEMA to assist with emergency planning and sheltering of pets. We have seen the lasting impact of this federal policy, as local responding agencies have been better prepared to meet the needs of families with pets in the face of tornadoes, hurricanes, and other disasters across the country.
In addition, Sen. Lautenberg co-authored the Horse Transportation Act, with Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., to prohibit the transportation of horses in dangerous double-decker trucks. He also introduced a number of measures to protect wildlife, such as the Sportsmanship in Hunting Act, to ban the interstate commerce in tame, exotic mammals such as lions and zebras for the purpose of shooting them inside fenced pens at captive trophy hunting ranches, and a resolution calling on Japan to stop “drive hunts” in which dolphins and small whales are chased into shallow waters and stabbed with long knives or trapped with nets to be sold into captivity. Quite recently he helped block legislation to allow the imports of sport-hunted polar bear trophies from Canada, and measures designed to prevent federal agencies from restricting the use of toxic lead ammunition which poisons wildlife and the environment.
Animal advocates have reason to be extremely grateful to Sen. Lautenberg for his passion and effective leadership on humane issues. We mourn his passing, and we celebrate his accomplishments—knowing that his work over many years of service to the people of New Jersey and the United States helped to strengthen the federal legal framework for animal protection in ways that will long be remembered.
