Elections  /  

A Tale of Two Pictures

In February, a photo of Dan Richards, president of the California Fish and Game Commission, began circulating on the Internet: Richards gleefully posed in a trophy picture with a dead mountain lion he had killed on a guided hound hunt in Idaho. Cougar hunting is legal in Idaho, but California voters banned the practice in 1990 and reaffirmed the prohibition with a second statewide vote in 1996.

Ballot Measures, Elections  /  

No Form of Animal Abuse that Ag Groups Find Intolerable

It’s just about one week left before Election Day, and one of the battleground states for animal protection is North Dakota. Measure 5 would make it a felony to maliciously and intentionally harm a dog, cat or horse, and would bring North Dakota’s cruelty law in line with those of 48 other states that previously adopted felony penalties for extreme animal abusers.

Uncategorized  /  

Ban Cruel Fox Pens: Virginia’s Last Form of Animal Fighting

It’s the South’s last legal blood sport, and in Virginia, it’s under serious examination. It’s time for legislators to get serious about ridding this country of fox penning. 

Elections  /  

New Radio Ad Opposing Jeff Flake for Senate

The Humane Society Legislative Fund today launched a statewide radio ad campaign in Arizona opposing Rep. Jeff Flake for U.S. Senate. The radio ad, which you can listen to here, tells listeners that Flake has fought even the most modest animal welfare reforms in Congress, he is out of step with our values on protecting animals from cruelty, and he’s too extreme for Arizona.

Elections  /  

Iowa TV Ad Tells Voters the Truth about King’s Record

Today the Humane Society Legislative Fund launched its third TV ad in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District opposing Steve King for Congress. The new ad is running today in Des Moines, Sioux City, and Rochester-Mason City, and you can watch it here.

Elections  /  

The Facts on Steve King’s Disappointing Animal Welfare Record

The Humane Society Legislative Fund today launched a new TV ad in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District opposing Steve King’s reelection to Congress.

Elections  /  

Jon Tester and the Talking Dead

California Gov. Jerry Brown yesterday signed Senate Bill 1221 into law, which bans the hound hunting of bears and bobcats—the inhumane and unsporting practice of using packs of radio-collared dogs to chase large mammals into a tree, so a trophy hunter can follow the radio signal on a handheld telemetry device and shoot the frightened animal off a tree branch at point-blank range.

Elections  /  

What Does Sequestration Mean for Animals?

Congress recessed last week for the election, leaving much business unfinished and not reaching any agreement on deficit-reduction legislation. This failure to act is likely to trigger sequestration cuts of $1.2 trillion in government spending over the next nine years, beginning in January 2013.

Elections  /  

Steve King’s Voting Record is a Reflection of His Position on Dogfighting

Steve King is on the defense and is pressuring TV stations in Iowa not to run the Humane Society Legislative Fund’s new TV ad critical of his voting record on animal fighting policy issues in Congress.

Elections  /  

Stop the King of Cruelty: See the Ad Some Stations Banned from Iowa TV

Today, the Humane Society Legislative Fund launched a new TV ad campaign in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, opposing Steve King’s reelection to Congress. King has one of the most extreme records on animal cruelty in Congress, and has worked harder than any other lawmaker to block legislation cracking down on illegal dogfighting. Our new TV ad highlights his opposition to a ban on taking children to dogfights.

Uncategorized  /  

How Have Your Lawmakers Scored So Far?

As we enter the final stretch of the 112th Congress, HSLF is posting a preview of our 2012 Humane Scorecard. In this preliminary report, we evaluate lawmakers’ performance on animal protection issues by scoring a number of key votes, but also their support for adequate funding for the enforcement of animal welfare laws, and their cosponsorship of priority bills.

Uncategorized  /  

Lawmakers Seek to Strengthen the Horse Protection Act

Congress passed the Horse Protection Act of 1970 aiming to eliminate the cruel practice of “soring” show horses—applying caustic chemicals to their hooves and legs, inserting sharp objects, and using other painful techniques to force an artificially high-stepping gait, a form of cheating that gives those who engage in this abuse a competitive edge over owners and trainers who do not.