WASHINGTON (April 10, 2013) -- The Humane Society Legislative Fund, the nation’s leading political advocacy organization for animal welfare, announces its endorsement of Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, for reelection to the New Jersey Senate in the Democratic primary to be held on June 4.
An effective and consistent leader on a wide variety of animal protection issues, Sen. Lesniak has sponsored or cosponsored legislation to:
- Fight the illegal trade in tiger parts threatening their wild population, which was passed by the Senate and the Assembly, but was vetoed; (S. 945)
- Ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption and the export of horsemeat and horses for slaughter, which was signed into law; (S. 1976)
- Ban the extreme confinement of breeding pigs in small gestation crates which virtually immobilize the animals on industrial factory farms for their entire lives, passed by the Senate and the Assembly; (S. 1921)
- Ban the sale and possession of shark fins, which contributes to the cruel practice of cutting off a shark’s fin for soup, disposing of the often live shark at sea; (S. 1922)
- Increase the penalty for starvation or severe physical cruelty of an animal, passed by the Senate and the Assembly (S. 1303)
- Prohibit the practice of bear baiting, which lures bears to piles of rotting meat, jelly donuts or other human junk food to be shot at point-blank range by trophy hunters. (S. 2369)
- “Raymond Lesniak is the leading champion of animal protection issues in the New Jersey Senate,” said Michael Markarian, president of HSLF. “Time and again he has demonstrated an ability to move important bills and secure protections for animals. We are pleased to endorse him, and urge voters to reelect him.”
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.
