Humane Society Honors New York Members of Congress for Animal Welfare Work in 2006
WASHINGTON (March 1, 2007) – The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund presented awards to U.S. Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-5th), Sherwood Boehlert (R-24th), Joseph Crowley (D-7th), Eliot Engel (D-17th), Maurice Hinchey (D-22nd), Steve Israel (D-2nd), Sue Kelly (R-19th), Nita Lowey (D-18th), Carolyn Maloney (D-14th), Carolyn McCarthy (D-4th), Michael McNulty (D-21st), Louise Slaughter (D-28th), John Sweeney (R-20th), and Anthony Weiner (D-9th) for their advocacy on animal welfare issues considered by the Congress in 2006.
The HSUS and HSLF recognized the lawmakers for their leadership roles on humane legislation, including:
- Sen. Clinton and Rep. Slaughter offered amendments to the Agriculture Appropriations bill to push the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to review its approval of non-therapeutic uses of antibiotics in livestock production, which support overcrowded and inhumane conditions on factory farms, and contribute to drug-resistant bacterial diseases.
- Rep. Ackerman was the lead author of the Engine Coolant and Antifreeze Bittering Agent Act, which would require the addition of a bittering agent to sweet-tasting engine coolant and antifreeze to prevent pets, wildlife, and children from being poisoned. He was also the lead sponsor of the Downed Animal Protection Act, which would prohibit the sale of meat from “downer” livestock who are too sick or injured to walk.
- Rep. Boehlert pressed successfully for inclusion in the multi-year transportation bill of requirements for the Department of Transportation to study and publish a report on ways to reduce wildlife/vehicle collisions, produce a “best practices” manual, and develop a training course to guide state transportation planners on this issue.
- Rep. Hinchey was the lead sponsor of the Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act to stop the killing of buffalo in Yellowstone National Park, and allow the herd to roam freely over federal lands.
- Rep. Lowey introduced legislation to end the use of steel-jawed leghold traps, which kill and injure wildlife and family pets.
- Former Rep. Sweeney was the author of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, which seeks to stop the slaughter of horses for food exports to other countries. Sweeney led successful passage of the bill in the House by a vote of 263-146, but it never received action in the Senate.
- Sens. Clinton and Schumer and Reps. Ackerman, Crowley, Engel, Israel, Kelly, Maloney, McCarthy, McNulty, and Weiner all received perfect scores of 100 percent on the annual Humane Scorecard, which is available online at . For the 109th Congress, which spanned 2005 and 2006, legislators were scored on their votes to protect pets in disasters and stop horse slaughter for food exports; their co-sponsorship of bills to crack down on animal fighting and stop the sale of “downer” livestock who are too sick or injured to walk; their signing of a letter requesting funding for enforcement of animal welfare laws; and their leadership on animal legislation.
“We are tremendously grateful to these lawmakers for their leadership and support for animal protection policies,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS. “To pass humane laws, we need humane lawmakers. These legislators deserve this important recognition for their compassion.”
Leaders of The HSUS and HSLF presented the awards at a reception on Capitol Hill last evening.
Facts:
- The HSUS and HSLF recognized 134 federal lawmakers – about one-third of the Senate and one-quarter of the House of Representatives – for leading efforts in Congress to protect animals. Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn./4th) received the top honor of Humane Legislator of the Year for his leadership on legislation to provide disaster planning for pets, set animal welfare standards for meat, dairy, and egg products purchased by the federal government, and crack down on “canned hunts” of exotic animals in fenced enclosures.
- In addition to the Humane Legislator of the Year Award, The HSUS and HSLF gave 21 Humane Champion Awards for lawmakers who both sponsored animal protection legislation and scored a perfect 100% on the Humane Scorecard; 39 Legislative Leader Awards to those who sponsored pro-animal legislation; and 73 Humane Advocate Awards to those who scored 100%. The bipartisan group of award recipients includes 33 Senators (21 Democrats, 11 Republicans, 1 Independent) and 101 Representatives (74 Democrats, 26 Republicans, 1 Independent) covering 37 states. The full list of awardees is available online at .
- Two major priorities of The HSUS and HSLF were enacted into federal law in 2006. The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act, introduced by Reps. Tom Lantos (D-Calif./12th) and Christopher Shays (R-Conn/4th) and Sens. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), requires state and local agencies to include pets in their disaster planning. The legislation was a response to Hurricane Katrina, in which thousands of pets were left stranded in the Gulf Coast and many people refused to evacuate because they could not take their pets. Congress also passed legislation championed by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) to shut down a taxidermy tax scam in which wealthy trophy hunters took huge tax deductions by shooting rare animals and donating them to phony museums. HSUS investigators had discovered 800 “donated” trophy mounts gathering dust in an old railroad car. Closing this tax loophole is expected to save taxpayers $49 million over the next decade.
- The HSUS and HSLF are working in the 110th Congress to enact legislation on which the 109th Congress did not complete action, such as bills to end horse slaughter, stop illegal animal fighting, end the slaughter of “downer” livestock too sick or injured to walk, crack down on “puppy mills” where dogs are treated like production machines, prohibit the use in research of dogs and cats obtained from random sources including pet theft, curb the practices of canned hunting and Internet hunting, require labeling of all fur-trimmed garments and help enforce the ban on dog and cat fur, and bar interstate commerce in captive primates for the exotic pet trade. The groups are also working on new areas of legislation such as establishing pet trusts, requiring the use of alternatives to animal tests, and banning imports of sport hunted polar bear trophies.
Highlights from the 2006 Humane Scorecard include:
The average Senate score was 49, with Senate Democrats averaging 71, and Senate Republicans averaging 32.
The average House score was 57, with House Democrats averaging 73, and House Republicans averaging 42.
Twenty-two Senators scored 100 or 100+ (18 Democrats, 4 Republicans).
Nineteen Senators scored zero (4 Democrats, 15 Republicans).
Eighty-seven Representatives scored 100 or 100+ (70 Democrats, 16 Republicans, 1 Independent).
Fifteen Representatives scored zero (1 Democrat, 14 Republicans).
The New England region led the pack with an average Senate score of 85 and an average House score of 91.
The Rocky Mountains were at the bottom with an average Senate score of 14 and an average House score of 30.
California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, and Washington are the only states in which both Senators scored 100 or 100+.
Alabama, Idaho, Missouri, New Mexico, and Wyoming are the only states in which both Senators scored zero.
Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont are the only states with an average House score above 90.
Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oklahoma, and Utah are the only states with an average House score below 20.
State-by-state averages and more statistics are available online at .
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