WASHINGTON (July 19, 2022)—Today the Humane Society Legislative Fund, the nation’s leading political advocacy organization for animal protection, announced its endorsement of Rep. Vern Buchanan for Florida’s 16th Congressional District.
"Vern Buchanan continues to successfully champion animal protection legislation in the U.S. Congress, " said Sara Amundson, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. "We urge Floridians to send this compassionate leader back to Congress."
Rep. Buchanan is the Republican co-chair of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, a bipartisan entity committed to passing federal animal protection legislation. He also received a score of 100 on HSLF’s 2021 Humane Scorecard. He is a lead sponsor of the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act (H.R. 3355) to prohibit the reopening of horse slaughter plants in the U.S. and the export of American horses to slaughter for human consumption, the Humane Cosmetics Act (H.R. 6207) to phase out testing of cosmetics on live animals and sales of animal-tested cosmetics in the U.S., and the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act (H.R. 5441) to crack down on “soring,” in which trainers deliberately inflict severe pain on the hooves and legs of Tennessee walking horses.
Among other actions in the 117th Congress, Rep. Buchanan has:
- Voted for a set of amendments (en bloc #5) to the initial package of FY 2022 appropriations bills, known as “minibus 1.” These amendments contained two pro-animal amendments, increasing funding for FWS to help protect West Indian manatees in Florida and directing the VA to use funding for equine-assisted therapy within the department’s adaptive sports programs.
- Voted for a set of amendments (en bloc #3) to the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 4350). These amendments contained two pro-animal provisions to curb the live wildlife trade and combat wildlife trafficking.
- Sponsored the Humane Cosmetics Act (H.R. 6207) to phase out testing of cosmetics on live animals and sales of animal-tested cosmetics in the U.S.
- Sponsored the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act (H.R. 5441) to crack down on “soring,” in which trainers deliberately inflict severe pain on the hooves and legs of Tennessee walking horses and related breeds to force them to perform an unnaturally high-stepping gait for competitions.
- Sponsored the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act (H.R. 3355) to prohibit the reopening of horse slaughter plants in the U.S. and the export of American horses to slaughter for human consumption.
- Cosponsored the Big Cat Public Safety Act (H.R. 263) to reduce the number of tigers, lions and other big cats living in substandard conditions, 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 Puppy Protection Act (H.R. 2840) to address serious gaps in welfare standards for tens of thousands of breeding dogs and puppies at large-scale breeding operations licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Cosponsored the Preventing Future Pandemics Act (H.R. 151) to reduce the risk of zoonotic disease outbreaks originating from live wildlife markets and the associated trade and trafficking of wildlife.
- Cosponsored the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act (H.R. 2811) to protect sharks from cruelty and preserve our oceans’ fragile ecosystems.
- Cosponsored the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) for Veterans Therapy Act (H.R. 1448) to create a pilot program within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to help veterans with post-deployment mental health disorders by paring them with dogs to train as service animals, including animals from shelters, and enabling them to adopt a dog they helped train.
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.
