WASHINGTON (Oct. 15, 2012) -- The Humane Society Legislative Fund, the nation’s leading political advocacy organization for animal welfare, announces its endorsement of U.S. Rep. Tom Marino, R-Penn., for re-election in the 10th Congressional District of Pennsylvania. Citing his strong support of animal protection policies, the Humane Society Legislative Fund urges 10th District voters to support Tom Marino.
“Tom Marino has been a leader in working to strengthen our nation’s laws against illegal animal fighting and other forms of cruelty and abuse,” said Michael Markarian, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “He is standing up for the values of kindness and compassion, and we urge voters who care about the humane treatment of animals to reelect Tom Marino.”
Rep. Marino is the lead sponsor of the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, H.R. 2492, which would 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. His bill has attracted 226 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives and has been endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, and more than 280 law enforcement agencies across the country.
Forty-nine states, including Pennsylvania, already have penalties for animal fighting spectators. But there is a loophole in the federal animal fighting law that does not yet address this problem. Spectators are willing accomplices who finance animal fighting operations through their admission fees and gambling wagers, and provide cover to animal fighters who blend into the crowd during a law enforcement raid. Marino’s bill would give federal law enforcement agencies the tools they need to crack down on the entire cast of characters involved in animal fighting.
Additionally, Rep. Marino has also:
- 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 Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety (PUPS) Act, H.R. 835, to protect dogs and crack down on large-scale puppy mill abuses
- 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:
Heather Sullivan, (301) 548-7778, hsullivan@hslf.org
Anna West, (301) 258-1518, awest@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.
