State Legislation

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Dogs and cats in Illinois laboratories will be saved from painful and outdated toxicity testing thanks to a first-of-its-kind law signed by Gov.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.

The 2023 Virginia Humane Scorecard is now available online, and we encourage voters to use it as a tool when they approach the ballot box this year. Holding legislators accountable to humane interests is critical as we strive to make our voices louder than those of the trophy hunters, factory farmers, and puppy mill lobbyists.

By uniting behind candidates who know the stakes for the most vulnerable among us, we can work towards a cruelty-free world.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

In a country where political tempers often run hot, agreement can seem incredibly rare. But, regardless of party affiliation, a consensus is emerging that our companion animals should be treated with basic decency—and this is not how kitten and puppy mills treat dogs and cats.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Idaho is pulling ahead in a race to the bottom for how states treat wolves. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game recently released a draft wolf management plan that will guide how the state manages the wolves who live there through 2028. The plan aims to reduce Idaho’s wolf population by 60%, primarily by promoting and incentivizing trophy hunting and trapping.