The U.S. Senate last night gave final approval to H.R. 2480, the Truth in Fur Labeling Act, to provide a much-needed upgrade to the nearly 60-year-old federal fur labeling law. The House previously passed the bill in July, and it now goes to President Obama for his signature.
President Obama’s bipartisan deficit-reduction commission is making recommendations for reducing the deficit, and here at The Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Legislative Fund we are proposing a few cost-cutting measures for lawmakers to consider in getting the country’s budget back on track.
Gray wolves have suffered from a long history of inhumane treatment and abuse, persecuted to near extirpation in most of this country by the 1970s.
The U.S. Senate is scheduled today to take up S. 510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, introduced by Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and a bipartisan group of lawmakers, which would give the Food and Drug Administration new authorities and resources to stop food safety problems before they start.
Last month, 24-year-old Brent Kandra was fatally mauled by a captive black bear at the private residence of notorious exotic animal dealer and exhibitor Sam Mazzola in Columbia Township, Ohio. Mazzola had four tigers, one lion, eight bears and a dozen wolves according to his May bankruptcy filing, and the recent death of a young man at his property has highlighted Ohio’s lack of any restrictions on the private possession of dangerous wildlife.
My 16-year-old cat, Oliver, was diagnosed with cancer last month. It’s been a trying time for our family, as we work to get him the best treatment possible. Fortunately, Oliver has veterinary pet insurance to help cover some of the medical costs.
Former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, who died in a plane crash last week, is well-known for his 40 years of service to the state of Alaska and for his record as the longest serving Republican senator. At the Humane Society Legislative Fund, we are deeply saddened by the loss, and that will surprise many a person. While we disagreed with him on many issues through the years, including drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the use of steel-jawed leghold traps, he became demonstrably more sympathetic and active on animal welfare issues later in his life.
If you didn’t get to attend The HSUS’ 24th annual Genesis Awards in Beverly Hills, or see the one-hour show broadcast on Animal Planet, you can still watch highlights of the event this weekend in the comfort of your own living room. The syndicated TV show “Animal Rescue” with Alex Paen, which airs in more than 200 media markets, will feature the Genesis highlights this weekend, August 7th and 8th. Check here to find your local station.
The U.S. House of Representatives today passed H.R. 2480, the Truth in Fur Labeling Act, a bill by Reps. Jim Moran, D-Va., and Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., to provide a much-needed upgrade to the nearly 60-year-old federal fur labeling law.
At a time when the federal government is criticized for fiscally wasteful programs, it’s shocking that the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health has come up with a new one: a plan to transfer 202 federally-owned chimpanzees from Alamogordo Primate Facility in New Mexico to the Southwest National Primate Research Center in Texas. These chimps have been warehoused for years in New Mexico at taxpayer expense, and once in Texas, they will be made readily available for invasive research.
