By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
May 11, 2023, stands out as historic for animal protection: On that day, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision upholding California’s Proposition 12, the nation’s strongest farm animal protection law, a move that rejected the pork industry’s challenge to the law.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Wild animals face a chilling multitude of threats. At a time when so many are vulnerable to the unprecedented impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss and ongoing human encroachment on shrinking habitats, imperiled animals continue to be killed for nothing more than a trophy, a prize, a pelt or a trinket. Others suffer at the hands of traffickers and breeders who want to lock them in cages for entertainment.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Fewer animals will suffer in experiments in California laboratories thanks to a bill sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States and signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday. AB 357 was authored by Assemblymember Brian Maienschein, D-San Diego, and received wide bipartisan support throughout the legislative process.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (August 29, 2023)—Today, the Humane Society Legislative Fund (HSLF) released its 2023 Illinois Humane Scorecard that grades Illinois lawmakers on their efforts to promote animal welfare during the 2023 session, including four new animal protection bills set to become law.
This summer, the Humane Society Legislative Fund (HSLF) released the 2023 Maryland Humane Scorecard. The scorecard grades legislators in the Maryland State House based on how they voted on key animal protection initiatives introduced during the 2023 session.
Modeled after our longtime federal Humane Scorecard, the Humane Society Legislative Fund’s state scorecards hold state legislators accountable to a range of humane interests—and have become increasingly influential with those who value the well-being of animals. As we work together to advance the animal protection agenda in your state, we need to first know where your lawmakers stand on the issues.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Enzo was just a tiny puppy when he was lifted into a carrier and placed in one of our animal rescue vehicles last July. He was being taken away from Envigo’s massive dog breeding facility in Virginia where he was born. Until that moment, he was likely destined for a life in an animal testing laboratory. Instead, Enzo was spared from that life, one that would have been rife with fear, loneliness and pain—and today he is enjoying all the things that every dog deserves: running in the grass, lounging on the sofa and playing with friends.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
After a hard-fought campaign lasting over a decade, New Jersey has passed a law prohibiting the cruel confinement of mother pigs in gestation crates and baby calves in veal crates. Gov. Phil Murphy signed the bill—which the state’s legislature passed earlier this month—on Wednesday, July 26, and it’s another milestone in our campaign to eliminate the cruel caging of farm animals.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Dogs and cats in Illinois laboratories will be saved from painful and outdated toxicity testing thanks to a first-of-its-kind law signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday. Under the new law, it won’t be permissible to use dogs and cats in Illinois laboratories in toxicity testing—tests that attempt to determine how a substance, ingredient or drug may affect human health—unless the test is explicitly deemed necessary by a federal agency.