WASHINGTON (August 19, 2020)—Today the Humane Society Legislative Fund, the nation’s leading political advocacy organization for animal welfare, announced its endorsement of Rep. Lauren Underwood for Illinois’ 14th Congressional District.
In addition to earning an impressive score of 92 on HSLF’s 2019 Humane Scorecard, Rep. Underwood is a member of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, a bipartisan entity committed to passing commonsense federal animal protection legislation.
“Lauren Underwood has been a champion for animal welfare in the U.S. House of Representatives,” said Brad Pyle, political director of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “We urge voters in Illinois’ 14th district to join us in enthusiastically supporting Rep. Underwood’s re-election.”
Among her other efforts in the 116th Congress, Rep. Underwood has:
- Cosponsored and voted for the Prevent Animal Cruelty and Torture Act (H.R. 724) to make malicious animal cruelty a crime on federal property and in interstate commerce, and complement state anti-cruelty laws, which was signed into law.
- Cosponsored the Big Cat Public Safety Act (H.R. 1380) to reduce the number of tigers, lions, and other big cats living in substandard conditions and protect public safety by banning public contact activities with these animals and prohibit their procession by individuals and entities lacking a USDA license.
- Cosponsored the Safeguard American Food Exports Act (H.R. 961) to prohibit the slaughter and export of horses for human consumption overseas.
- Cosponsored the Horse Racing Integrity Act (H.R. 1754) to address widespread doping—a key contributing factor to frequent fatalities on American racetracks—by banning race-day medication, increasing out-of-competition testing and establishing uniform national rules governing use of drugs in racehorses.
- Cosponsored the Welfare of Our Friends Act (H.R. 1002) to address significant deficiencies in USDA oversight of commercial dog breeding facilities.
- Cosponsored the Providing Responsible Emergency Plans for Animals at Risk of Emerging Disasters Act (H.R. 1042) to require facilities regulated under the AWA to submit annual contingency plans for the animals in their care during natural disasters, power outages and other crises.
- Voted against an amendment (H.Amdmt. 411) to H.R. 3055 to prohibit the National Marine Fisheries Service from implementing science-based consensus recommendations to save the North Atlantic right whale, a critically endangered species.
- Voted for an amendment (H.Amdmt. 435) to H.R. 3055 to prevent funds from being used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to issue permits for the importation of elephant or lion trophies from Zimbabwe, Zambia or Tanzania, where these threatened and endangered populations urgently need additional protections.
- Voted for U.S. Senator Joseph D. Tydings Memorial Prevent All Soring Tactics Act (H.R. 693) 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.
- Voted for the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act (H.R. 737) to prohibit the trade of shark fins for which sharks are hunted and their maimed bodies returned to the ocean.
Media Contact: press@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 hslf.org/blog, 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.
