Federal animal bills: text from 8/2/10 email by Mindy Gilbert, Alabama State Director of HSUS:
Hello, Action Alert Team Members! Your state legislatures are adjourned for the summer, but there are a lot of animal welfare issues brewing in our nation’s capitol that I wanted to update you on! I was in Washington, D. C., last week with nearly 1,000 fellow animal advocates from around the country at the HSUS’s 6th annual Taking Action for Animals Conference, which culminated with our National Humane Lobby Day in front of the U.S. Capitol on Monday. HSUS president Wayne Pacelle, actress Wendie Malick and U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va) all gave impassioned speeches on the importance of having our voices heard in Congress to help with many of the important issues outlined below. Mark your calendars for next year, when the conference will take place at the same location July 15-18, 2011. Hope to see you there!
Truth in Fur Labeling
This past Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Truth in Fur Labeling Act (H.R. 2480) by a voice vote. This legislation would protect consumers by bringing much-needed accuracy and disclosure to fur products. The bill closes a loophole in federal law that allows some animal fur garments to go unlabeled if the value of the fur is $150 or less, leaving consumers in the dark as to whether they are buying faux or animal fur. HSUS investigations have found jackets trimmed with animal fur being sold without labels and falsely advertised as “faux fur” across the country. Please urge your Senators to support this common sense legislation!
Chimps Deserve Better
The government-run National Center for Research Resources is planning to move 202 chimpanzees to a biomedical research laboratory in Texas where these endangered animals would be readily available for harmful and invasive research experiments. Many of the animals are already elderly and have spent decades languishing in research laboratories already. These chimpanzees have suffered enough and it would be more humane and economical to instead retire them to sanctuary. Ask the federal government to save these chimps today.
Torture Videos
New information released today shows that videos depicting extreme forms of animal cruelty remain available online. The animal torture videos show the intentional crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating and impaling of puppies, kittens and other live animals for the titillation of viewers. The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 5566 last week by a vote of 416-3. Please contact your federal Senators today and ask them to quickly pass legislation to ban interstate and foreign commerce in these obscene animal "crush" videos., and thank your NH and VT Representatives for their “yes” vote in the House.
No More Horsing AroundOver the past 10 years, the costs of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Management program have skyrocketed; the agency keeps removing more horses from public lands, but fewer people are willing to adopt them. Illogically, the BLM hasn’t made controlling reproduction a part of its efforts to control the number of horses in the wild. Just this past July in Elko County, Nevada (the hottest month of the year in that region), the BLM removed more horses. At least a dozen mustangs have died from dehydration, water intoxication, and related complications. The HSUS has called for a moratorium on roundups.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) intends to remove another 12,000 wild horses from the range. If all goes as planned, by the end of 2011, there will be nearly twice as many wild horses in holding facilities (45,000) as are on the range (around 26,000). The BLM estimates that holding costs alone will rise to over $47 million annually. This is not a cost-effective or humane way to manage wildlife. The BLM is accepting public comments on its latest plan until August 3. Tell the agency make good on the change it has promised in the past and steer the program in a new, sustainable, and more humane direction.
The Humane Scoreboard
The Humane Scoreboard is a new and powerful on-line tool for animal advocates. A project of the Humane Society Legislative Fund, it provides a real-time snapshot of where U.S. Senators and Representatives stand on animal protection legislation, votes and policies. The Humane Scoreboard also provides an easy way for constituents to assess where their own federal lawmakers stand on animal protection issues, and helps chart the progress of HSLF's public policy work on behalf of animals. More than ever, animal protection is being treated like the serious societal issue it is on Capitol Hill, and lawmakers are debating policies that have enormous implications for animals.
205-471-5541
mgilbert@humanesociety.org