WASHINGTON (Oct. 10, 2012) -- The Humane Society Legislative Fund, the nation’s leading political advocacy organization for animal welfare, announces its endorsement of U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., for re-election to the U.S. Senate. Citing his support of some important animal protection policies, the Humane Society Legislative Fund urges voters in Florida to support Nelson over Rep. Connie Mack.
“Bill Nelson has shown a commitment to preventing animal cruelty and protecting Florida’s natural habitat from invasive species,” said Sara Amundson, executive director of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “Rep. Connie Mack has either stood on the sidelines or opposed modest animal welfare reforms. We urge Florida voters to support Bill Nelson for Senate.”
Nelson has advocated for a number of federal policies to stop animal cruelty and abuse. Among his efforts, Nelson has:
- Sponsored legislation and led efforts to prohibit the importation and interstate commerce in Burmese pythons and other large constrictor snakes for the pet trade (S. 373). The Obama Administration finalized a rule to ban the trade in four of the nine species identified by the U.S. Geological Survey as posing the greatest risk to natural resources.
- Co-sponsored the Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety (PUPS) Act, S. 707, to protect dogs and crack down on large-scale puppy mill abuses
- Co-sponsored 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 (S. 261/P.L. 110-22)
- Supported an amendment to the 2012 Farm Bill 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 (S.Amdt. 2363/S. 3240)
- 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 (S.Amdt. 791/H.R. 2112)
- 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
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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.
