Press Release

WASHINGTON (December 7, 2016)—The Humane Society Legislative Fund, the nation’s leading political advocacy organization for animal welfare, announces its endorsement of John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, for election to the U.S. Senate. Citing his strong leadership and advocacy on animal protection policies, the HSLF urges voters in Louisiana to support Kennedy on December 10th in the runoff election.

As state treasurer, Kennedy led efforts to establish animal rescue operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, resulting in many lost pets rescued and reunited with their owners. He has stated that, as senator, working with federal agencies to enhance policies affecting animal recovery during natural disasters would be of the utmost importance.

Around that same time, Kennedy also advocated strongly against cockfighting, helping to ensure Louisiana’s ban on the practice in 2008.

"John Kennedy wants to take care of all of God’s creation, and we know he’ll be a determined and firm and effective advocate for common-sense animal welfare policies when he takes office in the U.S. Senate," said Sara Amundson, executive director of the HSLF. "Voters in Louisiana who care about animal welfare should support Kennedy and put an animal advocate in the seat long held by David Vitter."

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.

WASHINGTON (November 2, 2016)—MoveOn.org Political Action and the Humane Society Legislative Fund have teamed up to launch a new online ad highlighting Hillary Clinton’s strong record of animal protection and her expansive pro-animal campaign platform.

The ad was developed after MoveOn members said protecting animals is a key issue for them, and the Humane Society Legislative Fund announced its endorsement for Hillary Clinton. MoveOn.org represents millions of progressive members nationwide, and HSLF is a nonpartisan political advocacy organization that makes endorsements based on a candidate’s support for animal protection policies.

During her eight years in the U.S. Senate, Hillary Clinton was a consistent supporter of animal protection policies, earning a 100 percent score in HSLF’s Humane Scorecard for the 108th Congress, a perfect 100 score in the 109th and an 83 in the 110th.

You can watch the ad here.

During her time in Congress, Clinton:

• Led efforts to stop the overuse of antibiotics in farm animals, which allow them to be crammed into overcrowded, stressful and unsanitary factory farms;
• Cosponsored legislation to prohibit the transport and receipt of horses to be slaughtered for human consumption;
• Cosponsored the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act (S. 261) to prohibit the interstate transfer of animals for animal fighting;
• Cosponsored the Downed Animal Protection Act (S. 1779) to stop the processing of “downer” livestock;
• Cosponsored the Puppy Protection Act (S. 1478) to crack down on abusive “puppy mills” where dogs are treated like production machines;
• Signed letters requesting funds for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to step up enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act and the federal animal fighting law.

As Secretary of State, Clinton led international efforts to crack down on wildlife trafficking, and through her work at the Clinton Foundation, she helped launch a major campaign to fight the illegal ivory trade and poaching of elephants.

Read more about HSLF’s broad slate of candidate endorsements here.

Media Contacts:

John Cleveland, (202) 676-2338, jcleveland@hslf.org
Brian Stewart, (319) 936-3901, press@moveon.org

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MoveOn.org Political Action is a community of millions of Americans from all walks of life who are using innovative technology to lift up their voices in our democracy and build progressive power in campaigns for progressive change and in elections.

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.

WASHINGTON (October 25, 2016)—The Humane Society Legislative Fund, the nation’s leading political advocacy organization for animal welfare, announces the launch of a new television ad campaign in Wisconsin supporting Russ Feingold for U.S. Senate. The ads, which begin airing in the Milwaukee and Madison media markets on Tuesday, October 25, are aimed at informing voters of Feingold’s established history of support for common-sense animal protection policies.

“Russ Feingold has a consistent, proven record on animal protection and wildlife conservation,” said Sara Amundson, executive director of the HSLF. “Voters in Wisconsin deserve to know that Russ Feingold does what’s right for working families—including our animals.”

The ad can be viewed here.

During his time in the U.S. Senate, Feingold supported a wide range of animal protection and conservation efforts, including:

• Co-sponsoring several measures to crack down on illegal dogfighting and cockfighting, including the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act (S. 261, S. 382, S. 736) to create felony-level penalties for animal fighting, and legislation (S. 345) to ban the interstate shipment of birds for the purpose of cockfighting;
• Leading the effort for the Crane Conservation Act (S. 197, S. 1048, S. 943, S. 128, S. 2847) to assist in the conservation of imperiled crane species in Wisconsin and around the world;
• Co-sponsoring the Pet Safety and Protection Act (S. 714) to prohibit unscrupulous “Class B dealers” from funneling random-source dogs and cats, including stolen pets and those obtained fraudulently through “free to good home” ads, into laboratory experiments;
• Co-sponsoring the Puppy Protection Act (S. 1478) to improve the standards of care for breeding dogs in large-scale commercial puppy mills;
• Co-sponsoring a resolution (S. Res. 269) calling on the Canadian government to end its commercial seal hunt, the largest marine mammal slaughter in the world;
• Supporting an amendment to help protect dolphins from being caught and drowning in tuna fishing nets;
• Co-sponsoring the Bear Protection Act (S. 1125, S. 1109) to prohibit the trade in bear viscera (gallbladders and bile) in order to halt the poaching of bears for Asian medicines, cosmetics, and shampoos;
• Co-sponsoring the Truth in Fur Labeling Act (S. 1076) to require accurate labeling of all garments trimmed with animal fur so consumers are not deceived into believing the apparel is faux fur;
• Consistently supporting 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;
• Supporting an amendment to bar the use of taxpayer dollars for the slaughter of horses for human consumption;
• As United States Special Representative for the African Great Lakes Region and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, working extensively to protect elephants from poaching and wildlife trafficking.

Senator Ron Johnson has opposed or failed to support a number of animal protection measures, earning a “0” in the most recent version of the Humane Scorecard, published recently. In 2015, Johnson voted to weaken Endangered Species Act protections for the lesser prairie chicken, of which only around 1% of historic populations remain. In 2016, he voted to impede the ability of federal agencies to adopt new rules or strengthen existing regulations, including those to protect animals, and voted to make it more difficult to create national monuments, including those that protect wildlife habitat. Johnson sponsored a bill to delist wolves in the Great Lakes region, seeking to reverse a federal court ruling and to subvert further judicial review of that case. More than 50 leading wolf biologists have called on Congress to reject this legislation and not to delist wolves.

The Humane Society Legislative Fund is the nation’s leading political advocacy organization for animal welfare. HSLF raises its own money and has its own governing structure that is independent of The Humane Society of the United States, which is expressly prohibited from endorsing candidates in elections. What’s more, HSLF is in no way affiliated with the Wisconsin Humane Society or other local organizations, which generally are also expressly prohibited from making candidate endorsements.

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.

WASHINGTON (October 25, 2016)—The Humane Society Legislative Fund, the nation’s leading political advocacy organization for animal welfare, announces the launch of its television ad campaign in Virginia opposing the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump. The ads, which previously ran in northern Virginia and begin airing in the Richmond media market today, are aimed at informing voters of the unprecedented danger that a Donald Trump presidency would pose to animal welfare.

“A Donald Trump presidency represents the greatest threat ever to federal policy-making and implementation of animal protection laws,” said Michael Markarian, president of the HSLF.

The ad, which can be viewed here, makes plain that Trump’s surrogates on animal welfare issues are vitriolic opponents of the cause: Forrest Lucas, the money man behind Protect the Harvest, a front group devoted to fighting animal welfare organizations; Bruce Rastetter, who supports cruel industrial agricultural practices like confining pigs in gestation crates; and Oklahoma state Sen. Eddie Fields, author of the bill overturning the state’s 50-year ban on horse slaughter for human consumption. The Trump sons are also featured in the ad, which notes their trophy hunting of threatened species, and Donald Jr.’s documented interest in the position of Interior Secretary.

Hillary Clinton has a strong animal protection record. During her eight years in the U.S. Senate, she earned scores of 100, 100+, and 83 on HSLF’s Humane Scorecard. She co-sponsored legislation dealing with horse slaughter and animal fighting, as well as bills to stop the processing of “downer” livestock and crack down on abusive puppy mills. She led efforts to stop the overuse of antibiotics in farm animals, which allow them to be crammed into overcrowded, stressful, and unsanitary factory farms. As Secretary of State, Clinton led international efforts to crack down on wildlife trafficking. She continued her leadership on animal protection later through the Clinton Foundation, and helped to launch a major campaign to fight the illegal ivory trade and poaching of elephants.

“The contrast could not be greater, nor the choice more clear cut for people concerned about animals,” said Wayne Pacelle, executive vice president of the HSLF. “Voters who care about animal protection should support Hillary Clinton for president.”

The NRA, which defends captive hunts of animals and promotes elephant hunting and the targeting of other rare species, has invested more than $20 million in support of Trump. Trump’s sons have acted as surrogates in handling the relationship with the NRA.

HSLF encourages Americans who care about protecting wildlife, combating large-scale cruelties like animal fighting and puppy mills, securing humane treatment of animals in agriculture, and addressing other challenges that face animals in our nation, to oppose Donald Trump and elect Hillary Clinton. HSLF’s other endorsements of pro-animal candidates, both Republicans and Democrats, can be found at: elections.hslf.org.

Media Contact: John Cleveland, jcleveland@hslf.org, 803-272-2770

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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.

Leaders Wayne Pacelle and Tom Colicchio to Canvass for Josh Gottheimer in New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District

WASHINGTON (October 21, 2016)—On Tuesday, October 25, Tom Colicchio, co-founder of Food Policy Action, leading food advocate and chef, and Wayne Pacelle, executive vice president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund, will join volunteers to canvass voters in Maywood, New Jersey as part of their organizations’ efforts to help elect Josh Gottheimer as the next U.S. representative for New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District. Colicchio and Pacelle will provide remarks to volunteers and press at a kick-off training event at Twin Door Tavern restaurant prior to the canvassing. FPA and HSLF will then lead volunteers to knock on doors, speak with voters about the need for action on food and farm policies and help persuade them to go to the polls on Tuesday, November 8 to support Josh Gottheimer, a food and farming champion who will protect the safety of all in our food chain. Both Colicchio and Pacelle will be available for interviews throughout the afternoon at the kick-off event and while they are canvassing.

What: Humane Society Legislative Fund and Food Policy Action NJ-05 Canvass Day

Who: Tom Colicchio, Co-founder of Food Policy Action, chef and food advocate and Wayne Pacelle, executive vice president of Humane Society Legislative Fund

When: Tuesday, October 25, 2016 from 1:15 - 3:00 PM ET

Where: Twin Door Tavern, 122 W. Pleasant Ave, Maywood, NJ 07607

Visuals: Speaking program with Tom Colicchio and Wayne Pacelle and door-to-door engagement with local voters

Press RSVP: Members of the media interested in attending the event please RSVP by emailing the media contacts below.

Media Contacts:

John Cleveland

Humane Society Legislative Fund

jcleveland@hslf.org

803-272-2770

Betsy Barrett

Food Policy Action

betsy@foodpolicyaction.org

202-997-3266

Paid for by Humane Society Legislative Fund (HSLF), 1255 23rd Street, NW, Suite 455, Washington, DC 20037, and Food Policy Action, www.foodpolicyaction.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

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About Food Policy Action: Food Policy Action was established in 2012 through a collaboration of national food policy leaders in order to hold legislators accountable on votes that have an effect on food and farming and to educate the public with objective information on how the United States Congress votes on a full range of food policy issues, which vitally influence our health, economy and the environment. Our goal is to change the national dialogue on food policy by educating the public on how elected officials are voting on these issues. Through education and the National Food Policy Scorecard, more people will be armed with the information they need to advocate for sound food policy and vote with their forks to elect more food policy leaders across the country.

About Humane Society Legislative Fund: The Humane Society Legislative Fund was formed in 2004 as a separate lobbying affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. HSLF works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal levels, to educate the public about animal protection issues and to support humane candidates for office.

WASHINGTON (October 21, 2016)—The Humane Society Legislative Fund, the leading political advocacy group for animal welfare, urges Missouri voters to withhold support from Attorney General Chris Koster for governor. Koster is locked in a neck-and-neck race with ex-Navy SEAL Eric Greitens.

“Chris Koster has no core values on animal welfare or traditional family farming,” said Joe Maxwell, a former Democratic state senator and Lieutenant Governor of Missouri. “He shifts his positions depending on who he thinks will provide financing to his campaigns. We need lawmakers in public office who stand for our values and won’t sell us out to the biggest campaign contributor.” Maxwell now serves as political director for the HSLF.

The Humane Society Legislative Fund cites three issues that ground its deep concerns about Koster:

• After voters approved Proposition B to impose breeding standards for the humane treatment of dogs, Koster worked to repeal the law as a way to curry favor with agribusiness groups that opposed it. “I don’t think Chris Koster had an ounce or hostility or empathy for the humane treatment of dogs,” said Maxwell. “He just showed naked opportunism because he was starting to rev up his gubernatorial run and wanted to curry favor with the puppy mill community and the Farm Bureau, which exaggerated the impact and reach of the ballot measure and said it was about more than dogs. Despite their duplicitous campaign, voters approved Prop B by more than 70,000 votes in a mid-term election.”
• Koster also led an effort and enlisted other states to join him in filing a lawsuit against California to try to strike down a state law that sets basic animal welfare and food safety standards for the sale of eggs in the state—requiring that the hens have enough space to turn around and stretch their wings. Koster claimed to sue on behalf of the entire state and sought to allow egg factory farms to sell eggs in California, no matter how extreme the confinement of the hens or how bad the food safety standards. A federal judge dismissed the case, finding that Koster was suing on behalf of special interests, not the people of Missouri. And after Koster promised Missouri taxpayers he would use no more than $10,000 of taxpayer monies on the lawsuit challenging California’s animal welfare and food safety law, it was reported that his now-dismissed lawsuit effort cost more than $100,000—a wasteful boondoggle for the people of Missouri.
• Koster also took the opposite position from the Missouri Farmers Union, Missouri’s Food for America, and other family farmer groups in advocating for a constitutional “right to farm” referendum, Question 1, in August 2014. The measure, which passed by only 2,000 votes, essentially forbids any state rules to regulate agriculture and hands big agribusiness the opportunity to operate with no oversight. It allows foreign corporations, such as China’s Smithfield, to have absolute authority over Missourians’ farm land and any animals on it, indefinitely. Inhumane puppy mill operators could also use this law as cover to evade any attempts by state or local lawmakers to combat puppy mills within the state. “Chris Koster was prepared to sell family farmers like me down the river to curry favor with Smithfield Foods and other players in industrial agriculture,” said Wes Shoemeyer, a farmer and former state Democratic senator from northeast Missouri.

The Humane Society Legislative Fund especially urges Democrats and Independents not to check the box for Koster on November 8th. We can do better than Chris Koster.

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.

WASHINGTON (October 11, 2016)—The Humane Society Legislative Fund, the nation’s leading political advocacy organization for animal welfare, announces its endorsement of Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D- New York, 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 New York’s 18th Congressional District to support Rep. Maloney for re-election.

“Rep. Maloney has been a devoted friend to animals throughout his time in office,” said Sara Amundson, executive director of the HSLF. “Voters in the 18th District who care about the humane treatment of animals should support Sean Patrick Maloney for re-election.”

In the 114th Congress, Rep. Maloney:

• 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;
• Opposed a harmful rider that sought to block the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from implementing new rules to crack down on the domestic ivory trade and help stop the poaching and slaughter of elephants for their tusks;
• 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;
• Opposed measures to substantially weaken the Endangered Species Act and strip federal protections from wolves and other imperiled species;
• Opposed the so-called Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act (H.R. 2406), a grab bag of the most extreme practices involving trophy hunting and commercial trapping of wild 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.

WASHINGTON (October 11, 2016)—The Humane Society Legislative Fund, the nation’s leading political advocacy organization for animal welfare, announces its endorsement of Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colorado, 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 Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District to support Rep. Polis for re-election.

“Jared Polis is a strong and dependable advocate for animals in Congress,” said Sara Amundson, executive director of the HSLF. “Voters in the 2nd District who care about the humane treatment of animals should support Rep. Polis for re-election.”

In the 114th Congress, Rep. Polis:

• 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;
• 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;
• Opposed a harmful rider that sought to block the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from implementing new rules to crack down on the domestic ivory trade and help stop the poaching and slaughter of elephants for their tusks;
• Opposed measures to substantially weaken the Endangered Species Act and strip federal protections from wolves and other imperiled species;
• Opposed the so-called Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act (H.R. 2406), a grab bag of the most extreme practices involving trophy hunting and commercial trapping of wild 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.

WASHINGTON (October 11, 2016)—The Humane Society Legislative Fund, the nation’s leading political advocacy organization for animal welfare, announces its endorsement of Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Florida, for election to the U.S. Senate. Citing his strong leadership and advocacy on animal protection policies, the HSLF urges voters in Florida to support Rep. Murphy in November’s general election.

“As a member of U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Patrick Murphy has displayed a strong belief in the importance of animal welfare,” said Michael Markarian, president of the HSLF. “We believe he will do the same in the U.S. Senate, and we encourage voters in Florida who care about the humane treatment of animals to support Rep. Murphy for election.”

The HSLF publishes an annual Humane Scorecard to give voters a snapshot of every federal legislator's record on animal protection issues; Rep. Murphy received a perfect score of “100” in the Midterm Report for the 114th Congress.

Among his efforts in the 114th Congress, Rep. Murphy:

• 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;
• Opposed a harmful rider that sought to block the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from implementing new rules to crack down on the domestic ivory trade and help stop the poaching and slaughter of elephants for their tusks;
• Opposed measures to substantially weaken the Endangered Species Act and strip federal protections from wolves and other imperiled species;
• 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.

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.

WASHINGTON (October 11, 2016)—The Humane Society Legislative Fund, the nation’s leading political advocacy organization for animal welfare, announces its endorsement of Representative Tony Cárdenas, D-California, 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 California’s 29th Congressional District to support Rep. Cárdenas for re-election.

“Rep. Cárdenas is a true champion for animals, leading on multiple pieces of animal protection and animal welfare legislation,” said Sara Amundson, executive director of the HSLF. “Voters in the 29th District who care about the humane treatment of animals should support Tony Cárdenas for re-election.”

Each year, HSLF issues a “Legislative Scorecard” that rates legislators based on their support for pro-animal legislation. In 2015, Rep. Cárdenas scored a “100+” based on his cosponsorship of all priority legislation as well as his leadership on the Humane Cosmetics Act.

In the 114th Congress, Rep. Cárdenas:

• Introduced 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;
• Promoted “Meatless Monday” through his congressional offices to help spread the word about reducing the number of animals suffering in factory farms;
• 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 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;
• 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;
• Opposed a harmful rider that sought to block the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from implementing new rules to crack down on the domestic ivory trade and help stop the poaching and slaughter of elephants for their tusks;
• Opposed measures to substantially weaken the Endangered Species Act and strip federal protections from wolves and other imperiled species;
• Opposed the so-called Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act (H.R. 2406), a grab bag of the most extreme practices involving trophy hunting and commercial trapping of wild animals.

Media Contact: John Cleveland, (202) 676-2338, jcleveland@hslf.org

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