WASHINGTON (Oct. 4, 2012) -- The Humane Society Legislative Fund, the nation’s leading political advocacy organization for animal welfare, announces its endorsement of U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., for Connecticut’s open U.S. Senate seat. Citing his strong support of animal protection policies, the Humane Society Legislative Fund urges Connecticut voters to support Murphy.
“During his three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, Chris Murphy has shown a strong commitment to supporting the human-animal bond and preventing animal cruelty,” said Sara Amundson, executive director of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “He has stood up for the values of kindness and compassion and we urge Connecticut voters to support Chris Murphy.”
Murphy has supported a number of federal policies to stop animal cruelty and abuse, including:
- Co-sponsored the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2012, H.R. 3798, to ban barren battery cages, creating a national animal welfare standard for 280 million egg-laying hens
- Co-sponsored the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act, H.R. 1513, to phase out the use of chimpanzees in invasive research, retire federally-owned chimpanzees to sanctuary, and save millions of taxpayer dollars
- Co-sponsored the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, H.R. 2492, to close a loophole in the federal animal fighting law by making it a crime to attend or take a child to a dogfight or cockfight
- Co-sponsored the Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety (PUPS) Act, H.R. 835, to protect dogs and crack down on large-scale puppy mill abuses
- Co-sponsored legislation to ban commerce in videos showing the intentional torture of puppies, kittens and other live animals for the sexual titillation of viewers (H.R. 5092)
- Co-sponsored the Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act to require humane euthanasia of livestock too sick or injured to walk and to prohibit USDA certification of meat from such animals for human consumption (H.R. 661)
- Co-sponsored the Truth in Fur Labeling Act to require accurate labeling of all garments trimmed with animal fur so consumers are not deceived into believing the apparel is faux fur (H.R. 2480/P.L. 111-313)
- Voted to protect threatened polar bears in the Arctic and prevent the import of sport-hunted polar bear trophies from Canada (H.AMDT.1008/H.R. 4089)
- Voted to save millions of taxpayer dollars by reducing the use of toxic poisons, steel-jawed leghold traps, aerial gunning, and other inhumane methods of killing predators as a subsidy for private livestock ranchers (H.AMDT.471/H.R.2112)
- Voted to remove a devastating “extinction rider” that would have weakened the Endangered Species Act by preventing the listing of imperiled species and designation of critical habitat (H.AMDT.735/H.R.2584)
- Voted to save taxpayer dollars by limiting subsidies to massive factory farms, which thrive on taxpayer giveaways that keep animal feed artificially cheap, jeopardize public health, the environment, and animal welfare, while also driving smaller and more humane, sustainable family farms out of business (H.AMDT.124/H.R.1) and (H.AMDT.478/H.R. 2112)
- Voted for the Animal Fighting Enforcement Prohibition Act, which was signed into law in 2007 and strengthened the penalties for illegal dogfighting and cockfighting, making it a felony to transport animals across state lines for these gruesome and barbaric fights (H.R. 137/P.L. 110-22)
- Voted for the Captive Primate Safety Act to prohibit the interstate commerce in chimpanzees and other primates for the exotic pet trade, which poses a danger to animal welfare and to public health and safety (H.R. 80)
- Voted to establish a program at Veterans Administration medical centers for veterans with post-deployment mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder to train service dogs as a form of therapy, and the trained dogs would assist veterans with disabilities (H.R. 3885)
- Supported efforts to provide adequate funding for the enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, Horse Protection Act, Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, and federal animal fighting law, as well as for programs to address the needs of animals in disasters and to ease a shortage of veterinarians in rural and inner-city areas and USDA positions through student loan forgiveness.
Media contact: Heather Sullivan, (301) 548-7778, hsullivan@hslf.org
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HSLF is a nonpartisan organization that evaluates candidates based only on a single criterion: where they stand on animal welfare. HSLF does not judge candidates based on party affiliation or any other issue.
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.
Paid for by Humane Society Legislative Fund and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. HSLF, 1255 23rd Street, NW, Suite 455, Washington, DC 20037.
