Dear Friend:

I thought you would be interested in knowing about the work that is being done for animal rights in the 110th Congress.

I am a cosponsor of the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, which was passed by the House 369-39 on March 26, 2007 and is now scheduled for debate in the Senate.  This legislation makes it against the law to transport animals for animal fighting purposes and increases the maximum prison sentence for animal fighting crimes from one to three years. I also supported the recently passed Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Amendments of 2007, which will aid in improving and increasing rescue efforts for stranded marine mammals.

Other bills I have cosponsored in this session include:

• The Dog and Cat Fur Prohibition Enforcement Act (H.R. 891), which requires all fur garments to be labeled, regardless of the value or amount of fur they contain. H.R. 891 also stops the sale of fur from raccoon dogs, imported from foreign countries and often obtained inhumanely.
• The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503), which prohibits the killing of horses for human consumption as well as the transport of horseflesh or live horses for human consumption.
• The Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act (H.R. 661), which prohibits animals that are too sick to walk on their own from being used for human food and requires that such animals are humanely euthanized at slaughter facilities.

I was pleased to be the recent recipient of the Humane Society’s Humane Advocate Award for my support of legislation to protect animals from suffering and abuse in the 109th Congress. I will continue to stand up for our nation’s animals and look forward to working with you in the year ahead.