Update December 12, 2018: Great news! The Farm Bill passed its key test today with flying colors. The House approved the package by a whopping bipartisan 369-47 vote. With yesterday’s 87-13 approval in the Senate, it now heads to President Trump. We call on him to swiftly sign the Farm Bill into law to put to rest the disastrous King amendment that could have gutted countless state and local laws protecting animals and consumers, and to enact three key animal protection provisions—PAWS to protect pets and families from domestic violence, PACE to strengthen animal fighting law, and the Dog and Cat Meat Trade ban.
Thanks again to the leaders of the Senate and House Agriculture Committees, Sens. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Reps. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) and Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), for putting together this package that garnered such strong bipartisan support! Praise also to the sponsors of the pro-animal measures, those who pressed to keep out the King amendment, all who voted for the package this week, House and Senate leadership for getting it done, and especially to all the people who contacted their legislators over the past many months to make the case for animals!
Update December 11, 2018: The Senate has approved the 2018 Farm Bill by a vote of 87-13! That means we are one step closer to stopping the King amendment and passing three critical pro-animal welfare bills into law—a truly historic moment for animals. We applaud the Senate for moving quickly to approve this solid package and urge the House to do the same.
For the last year and a half, we have worked hard for the inclusion of key protections for animals in the Farm Bill, and today the Senate and House Agriculture Committees released a final version that rewards our effort.
Photo by iStock.com
Above all, because of our resistance, the package excludes the disastrous amendment tacked onto the House Farm Bill in committee by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa). We marshaled opposition to the King amendment from a diverse coalition of more than 220 groups across the political spectrum, 119 Representatives led by Reps. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), and 32 Senators led by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). The King Amendment threatened countless duly-enacted state and local laws, including laws addressing horse and dog meat, extreme confinement of farm animals, shark finning, and puppy mills, as well as a range of concerns such as food safety, child labor, opioids, pesticide exposure, fire-safe cigarettes, manure management, and handling of diseased livestock.
The legislation also includes language incorporating the content of three animal protection bills we’ve long supported:
- Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act introduced by Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.) and Reps. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), Rick Nolan (D-Minn.), Jeff Denham (R-Calif.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), and Mimi Walters (R-Calif.). The provision, championed by Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) in the Senate version of the Farm Bill will extend current federal domestic violence protections to include pets. It also authorizes grant money to help domestic violence shelters accommodate pets (only three percent currently allow pets) or arrange for pet shelter. The measure enjoyed the support of a broad network of domestic violence, law enforcement, veterinary, and animal welfare organizations.
- Dog and Cat Meat Prohibition Act introduced by Reps. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.), Buchanan, Dave Trott (R-Mich.), and Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.). The provision, championed by Denham in the House bill and Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Patrick Toomey (R-Pa.) in the Senate bill, will prevent this appalling trade from taking hold in the U.S. and strengthen our hand in seeking to end it worldwide. Around 30 million dogs and untold numbers of cats are the victims of this brutal industry globally every year, with animals often snatched off the street or stolen from loving families, still wearing collars, and finally subjected to unspeakable abuse only to end up on someone’s dinner plate.
- Parity in Animal Cruelty Enforcement (PACE) Act introduced by Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Reps. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), Blumenauer, Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Rick Nolan (D-Minn.), Kevin Yoder (R-Kan.), Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.), Steve Knight (R-Calif.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), and Buchanan. The amendment clarifies the point that federal prohibitions against dogfighting and cockfighting activity apply to all U.S. jurisdictions, including U.S. territories, and will protect animals from vicious cruelty, insulate communities against associated criminal activity such as drug trafficking and gang violence, and safeguard the public and food supply from disease transmission.
We commend Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Roberts and Ranking Member Stabenow and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (R-Texas) and Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) for reaching this strong bipartisan agreement
We couldn’t have achieved these wins without the faithful efforts of thousands of advocates across the nation who called, emailed, and met with their legislators, wrote letters to the editor, and spread the word in their communities. But the fight isn’t over yet—now we need to do our best to get this bill across the finish line. The House and Senate are expected to vote on the package soon and approval is far from guaranteed. Please click here to contact your U.S. Representative and two U.S. Senators today to urge that they support the 2018 Farm Bill.
