Our annual legislative scorecard is a trusted source for evaluating the animal protection commitments of elected officials at the federal level. This preview version of our 2024 Humane Scorecard allows you to determine where your federal legislators stand now on key animal protection priorities. It also gives you a chance to encourage them to strengthen their support―and their ratings―before the 118th Congress wraps up and we publish the final version in January 2025.
In the House, we’re counting cosponsorships not only for the Better Collaboration, Accountability and Regulatory Enforcement (CARE) Act (H.R. 5041) and the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act (H.R. 3090), but for the Humane Cosmetics Act (H.R. 5399), to phase out testing of cosmetics on live animals and sales of animal-tested cosmetics in the United States; the Puppy Protection Act (H.R. 1624), to codify regulatory upgrades and enact other needed reforms regarding animal welfare at large-scale dog breeding operations licensed by the USDA; and the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act (H.R. 3475), to prohibit domestic slaughter of horses in the U.S. and export for slaughter of American horses for the purposes of human consumption.
In addition to those cosponsorships, we’re counting two consequential House floor votes impacting wildlife, the first on a bill from Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) to remove gray wolf protections, and the second on final passage of a House Interior Appropriations bill crammed with anti-wildlife measures. These extremely close votes both went against the animals, a powerful reminder of the catastrophic implications of not being able to muster a majority for the pro-animal position when a bill or amendment comes to the floor. (We are urging the Senate not to agree to either of these House-passed measures.)
For the Senate, we are counting two priority bill cosponsorships. The first, the Better CARE Act (S. 2555), would strengthen the Department of Justice’s ability to collaborate with the USDA to improve Animal Welfare Act enforcement. The second, the PAST Act (S. 4004), would end the failed system of industry self-policing in the Tennessee walking horse universe, ban devices integral to soring, strengthen penalties and make the actual soring of a horse illegal.
For both the House and Senate, we’re counting those who joined the annual sign-on letters regarding key animal welfare provisions in the Agriculture Appropriations bill and committee report or submitted their own individual requests. These letters, led by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Chris Smith (R-N.J.), urged that neither the EATS Act nor any related attack on state and local farm animal welfare laws be included in appropriations legislation. They also requested enforcement commitments for the Animal Welfare Act, Horse Protection Act and Humane Methods of Slaughter Act; directives for the Food and Drug Administration concerning animal testing; and funding for a grant program to expand shelter options for domestic violence survivors fleeing with their pets and for student loan repayment plans for veterinarians who commit to practice in underserved areas. We were pleased that a bipartisan set of 45 senators and 197 representatives joined in seeking these urgent priorities.
As we move to finalize the Humane Scorecard, we’re reaching out to congressional offices to let them know that there’s still time for legislators to cosponsor the bills we’re scoring. We’ve got strong cosponsorship numbers already, but our work now can yield impressive increases as legislators and their staff members get a chance to think about our humane agenda and how much support we’ve gathered, and the opportunity the scorecard provides for them to reinforce their own animal protection commitments.
Increased cosponsorship from Democratic, Republican, and Independent legislators not only builds momentum for these bills but communicates to congressional leadership that colleagues across the political spectrum are ready to vote to pass them into law. We still have time in the “lame duck” session later this year to get these critical bills over the finish line.
You can help us at this crucial moment. Please consult the records of your federal legislators. Then, reach out to encourage them to cosponsor any of the scored bills they’re not yet on before the 118th Congress comes to a close at the end of this calendar year. Together, we can make still greater progress for animals, whose fate rests in our hands.
