WASHINGTON (July 2, 2018)—Today the Humane Society Legislative Fund, the nation’s leading political advocacy organization for animal welfare, announced its endorsement of Rep. Jeff Denham for California’s 10th Congressional District.
As a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, Rep. Denham has led efforts in the Farm Bill to ban the slaughter, trade, import and export of dogs and cats for human consumption. Significantly, Denham also fought against the King Amendment, a radical federal overreach that could nullify hundreds of state and local laws pertaining to agriculture products including those to restrict farm animal confinement, ban the sale of horse and dog meat, and crack down on puppy mills.
"Jeff Denham’s leadership of commonsense animal protection measures demonstrates that animal welfare is an issue of concern to family farmers and consumers alike," said Sara Amundson, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. "We enthusiastically support his re-election and urge Californians in the 10th district to vote to return him to the U.S. House of Representatives."
Among his efforts in the 115th Congress, Rep. Denham:
- Voted for an amendment (H.Amdmt. 630) to the Farm Bill to clarify that federal prohibitions against dogfighting and cockfighting activity that affects interstate or foreign commerce apply to all U.S. jurisdictions, including the U.S. territories.
- Introduced the Big Cat Public Safety Act (H.R. 1818) to protect public safety and ensure animal welfare by prohibiting the possession and breeding of tigers, lions, leopards and other big cat species by private individuals and unqualified exhibitors.
- Sponsored the Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act (H.R. 909) to protect the human and animal survivors of domestic violence and support the work of domestic violence shelters to accommodate pets.
- Cosponsored the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act (H.R. 1847) to strengthen the federal law against the “soring” of Tennessee Walking horses in shows—using caustic chemicals and other painful substances to injure the horses’ hooves and legs to induce a high-stepping gait.
- Cosponsored the Prevent Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act (H.R. 1494) to make malicious animal cruelty a crime on federal property and in interstate commerce, and complement the state anti-cruelty laws.
- Cosponsored the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act (H.R. 113) to prohibit the slaughter and export of horses for human consumption overseas.
- Cosponsored the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act (H.R. 1456) to prohibit the trade of shark fins, for which sharks are hunted and their maimed bodies returned to the ocean.
- Cosponsored the Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act of 2017 (H.R. 1406) to prohibit the domestic slaughter, trade and import of dogs and cats for human consumption.
Media Contact:press@hslf.org
###
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.
