WASHINGTON (October 6, 2016)—The Humane Society Legislative Fund, the nation’s leading political advocacy organization for animal welfare, announces its endorsement of Rep. Christopher Smith, R-New Jersey, for re-election to the U.S. Representatives. Citing his strong leadership and advocacy on animal protection policies, the HSLF urges voters in New Jersey’s 4th Congressional District to support Rep. Smith in November’s general election.
“Christopher Smith has consistently led on a diverse portfolio of animal welfare issues,” said Sara Amundson, executive director of the HSLF. “Animals are lucky to have him as an ally in Congress, and voters in the 4th District who care about humane values should support Rep. Smith for re-election.”
The HSLF publishes an annual Humane Scorecard to give voters a snapshot of every federal legislator's record on animal protection issues; Rep. Smith received a perfect score of “100+” in the Midterm Report for the 114th Congress.
Among his efforts, Rep. Smith:
- Led the multi-year effort requesting funding for 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;
- Led a letter to the USDA requesting that the agency finalize its proposed rule banning the slaughter of downer calves;
- Cosponsored the Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act (H.R. 1258) to protect the human and animal victims of domestic violence and support the work of battered women’s shelters to accommodate pets;
- Cosponsored the Prevent Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act (H.R. 2293) to make malicious animal cruelty a crime on federal property and in interstate commerce, and complement the state anti-cruelty laws;
- Cosponsored the Humane Cosmetics Act (H.R. 2858) to phase out the testing of cosmetics on live animals and the sale of newly animal-tested cosmetics;
- Cosponsored the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act (H.R. 3268) to strengthen the federal law against the “soring” of show horses—using caustic chemicals and other painful substances to injure the horses’ hooves and legs to induce a high-stepping gait;
- Cosponsored the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act (H.R. 1942) to prohibit the slaughter and export of horses for human consumption overseas;
- Supported the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 2576), to update chemical safety tests and reduce or eliminate the testing of tens of thousands of chemicals on animals.
Media Contact: John Cleveland, (202) 676-2338, jcleveland@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.
