The big news in Congress this week is that the House overwhelmingly passed the Prevention of Interstate Commerce in Animal Crush Videos Act, introduced by Representatives Elton Gallegly, R-Calif., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., by a sweeping vote of 416 to 3. The bill now goes to the Senate, where Senators Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Richard Burr, R-N.C., have vowed to lead the fight for this legislation.
Christina Wilkie of The Hill reported yesterday that Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) is teaming up with the Discovery Channel during the hugely popular “Shark Week” in August to promote legislation cracking down on cruel and wasteful shark finning. There has been good news and bad news for sharks in recent months, and the renewed push for shark conservation could not come at a more critical time for these declining ocean predators.
The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection this morning passed H.R. 2480, the Truth in Fur Labeling Act, to close a loophole in the federal fur labeling law that currently allows many fur-trimmed garments to be sold without disclosing that animal fur is used.
The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday unanimously passed H.R. 5566, bipartisan legislation by Reps. Elton Gallegly, R-Calif., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., to crack down on traffickers of animal crush videos.
Saturday’s Washington Post included a story by Rachel Saslow about the growing number of dogs roaming the halls of Congress, and the accompanying photo gallery by Linda Davidson is a real treat. It was timely for me, as I had just had the opportunity to sit down with U.S. Rep.
You’re more and more likely to see dogs at the U.S. Congress these days, as lawmakers bring their canine companions to work with them. But two stories caught my eye this week that made me think cats are making a comeback on Capitol Hill.
My colleagues at The HSUS and HSLF have varied interests and passions when it comes to animals, both at work and “off duty.” We have a good number of dogs who clock in every day at the office, and once in a while you’ll find a foster cat in a cubicle.
It’s appropriate that the month of May, which is perhaps best known for Mother’s Day, saw so much activity on the puppy mill issue—and we see light on the horizon for the hundreds of thousands of mother dogs who are kept in wire cages for their entire lives producing litter after litter, without exercise, companionship, or human interaction.
I testified this afternoon at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection, in support of H.R. 2480, the Truth in Fur Labeling Act. This bill, introduced by Representatives Jim Moran (D-Va.) and Mary Bono Back (R-Calif.), along with its counterpart, S.
The federal Farm Bill passed in 2008 included several animal welfare provisions, with one strengthening the federal law against dogfighting and cockfighting and building on the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act which was enacted a year earlier.
