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Good News and Bad News Bears
I testified this morning at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife, opposing a bill by Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) that would allow hunters to import trophies of sport-hunted polar bears from Canada.
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Animal All-Star
I met 14-year-old San Diego student Ben Byrom last year, when he was volunteering for the campaign to pass Proposition 2 and ban inhumane factory farming practices.
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Women Lawmakers are Top Dogs on Animal Welfare
Politico’s Erika Lovley reported yesterday on a new study conducted by researchers at Stanford University and the University of Chicago, indicating that women in Congress tend to be more effective than male lawmakers. The study examined the performance of House members over two decades, and found that on average, women introduce more bills and attract more cosponsors for their legislation.
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A Double Whammy for Animal Shelters
The economic downturn is having ripple effects in nearly every part of American life, but the impact on animal shelters has been especially acute. Struggling families are relinquishing more dogs and cats to shelters, as they find they can no longer afford the costs of pet care, or they are evicted from their homes and cannot find pet-friendly housing. At the same time, municipal governments are cutting local services, and charitable giving is on the decline, so both public and private shelters have less funding.
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Back to Work in the Nation’s Capital
Members of Congress return to Washington today after a month-long recess, and they’ll get back to work on health care reform and other top-tier issues. But animal protection has also been on the agenda, and many of our key priorities have already made meaningful progress during the 111th Congress.
Today I’d like to give you a snapshot of where we stand after the first eight months of the congressional session, and what we still need to achieve in the remainder of 2009 and 2010. The following bills have cleared at least one major hurdle already:
Talk Back /
Talk Back: Dogfighting, Toxic Lead Shot, and Animal Cruelty
Today I’d like to share some of your comments to recent blog posts. I recently wrote about Michael Vick working to steer at-risk youth away from dogfighting:
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Send Us Your Bill
How many times have you heard about a cruel or abusive practice involving animals, and wondered, “How can that be legal? Isn’t there a law against that?”
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107 and Counting
When Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell signed a bill yesterday—surrounded by dogs and dog lovers—to curb some of the worst puppy mill abuses, he knew he was taking a major step forward for man’s best friend. What he probably didn’t know was that his humane action was part of a record-breaking year for animal protection lawmaking all across the country—with HSUS and HSLF doing heavy lifting from coast to coast.
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Get the Lead Out
When mourning dove hunting season begins next week—in most states except Iowa and Michigan which have resisted the entreaties of the gun lobby, and nearly all of the Northeast where the gentle songbirds have long been protected—hunters will once again discharge enormous amounts of toxic lead shot into the environment.
Talk Back /
Talk Back: First Ladies, Vick and Veterans
Today I’d like to share some of your comments to recent blog posts. I recently wrote about First Ladies Michelle Bruni-Sarkozy and Michelle Obama, and their fur-free fashion statements:
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HAPPY for Pets
I wrote last year about California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s misguided plan to add a sales tax to veterinary services as part of a larger set of proposals to deal with the state’s multi-billion dollar budget shortfall.
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A Chance to Change
I spent yesterday at the Liberation Christian Center in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago’s south side, where Michael Vick spoke to at-risk youth and urged them not to get involved in dogfighting.
