WASHINGTON (Oct. 8, 2012) --The Humane Society Legislative Fund, the nation’s leading political advocacy organization for animal welfare, announces its endorsement of U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., for U.S. Senate in Nevada. Citing her strong support of animal protection policies, the Humane Society Legislative Fund urges Nevada voters to support Shelley Berkley.
“Shelley Berkley has been a committed supporter of commonsense animal protection policies and has stood up for the values of kindness and compassion,” said Sara Amundson, executive director of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “We urge Nevada voters who care about the humane treatment of animals to support Shelley Berkley for Senate.”
Among her many efforts, Berkley has:
- 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 the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, H.R. 2966, to prohibit the long-distance transport (including export) of American horses for slaughter for human consumption in other countries where horse meat is considered a delicacy
- 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 U.S. Department of Agriculture 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)
- Opposed 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 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)
- Opposed an amendment to bar the Environmental Protection Agency from collecting greenhouse gas emissions data from the largest factory farms (H.R. 2996/P.L. 111-88)
- Voted to restore the prohibition on the commercial sale and slaughter of wild and free-roaming horses and burros, and replace the current system of roundups and warehousing in holding facilities with more humane, effective, and fiscally responsible management practices, such as adoptions, sanctuaries, and fertility control (H.R. 1018)
- Voted to fund conservation programs for imperiled crane populations in the U.S. and around the world (H.R. 388) and conservation programs that protect rare dog and cat species such as jaguars, leopards, cheetahs, and African wild dogs (H.R. 411)
- 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 contacts: Pepper Van Tassell, (240) 751-0232, pvantassell@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.
