WASHINGTON (October 6, 2016)—The Humane Society Legislative Fund, the nation’s leading political advocacy organization for animal welfare, announces its endorsement of Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Oregon, for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives. Citing his strong leadership and advocacy on animal protection policies, the HSLF urges voters in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District to support Rep. Schrader for re-election.
“Kurt Schrader has been a leading champion of legislation to protect animals from cruelty and abuse, and he is working to promote balanced policies that help animals, businesses, and public health,” said Michael Markarian, president of the HSLF. “Voters in the 5th District who care about the humane treatment of animals should support Rep. Schrader for Congress.”
In the 114th Congress, where Rep. Schrader is one of only three veterinarians, he:
- Is a lead sponsor of 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 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;
- 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;
- Supported 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.
In previous sessions of Congress, Rep. Schrader worked with animal welfare groups and the egg industry to improve the treatment of hundreds of millions of laying hens and provide stability for egg farmers and consumers; and successfully passed legislation to allow veterinarians to transport and dispense important drugs for veterinary care in remote situations such as farms, spay and neuter clinics, and disaster response.
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.
