Pork producers, elected officials and animal advocates work together to save state ag laws and free markets

WASHINGTON (May 23, 2024)—Pork producers, pork distributors and animal advocates decried the House of Representatives’ Farm Bill (the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024) that will likely be voted out of the Agriculture Committee today. They called the bill a reckless attempt to invalidate state laws including Proposition 12, which set landmark prohibitions on the in-state sale of food products from farm animals locked in cruel and extreme confinement. The U.S.

House Farm Bill’s race to the bottom of the (pork) barrel

WASHINGTON (May 17, 2024)—Republicans on the U.S. House of Representatives’ Agriculture Committee have released their version of the Farm Bill. It includes language that aims to invalidate California’s Proposition 12, a state law setting landmark prohibitions on the in-state sale of food products from farm animals locked in cruel and extreme confinement. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law as constitutional in May 2023.

The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund petition FDA to revise outdated drug testing regulations

WASHINGTON (May 15, 2024)—Today, the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund filed a petition with the Food and Drug Administration requesting that the agency updates regulations to make clear that animal testing is not legally required for drug approval. The petition also requests that the FDA create a guidance document encouraging companies to use approved non-animal methods.

Indiana's 2024 Legislative Session failed dogs and wildlife

INDIANAPOLIS,  Ind. (May 14, 2024) – Today, the Humane Society Legislative Fund released its 2024 Indiana Humane Scorecard, which grades state legislators’ actions on threats to animal protection during the 2024 session, when legislation imperiling Indiana’s wildlife and companion animals was passed and later signed into law. The 2024 Indiana Humane Scorecard serves as a tool to commend those who stood firmly against these inhumane bills while also holding legislators who failed to protect animals accountable.

New CDC regulation will disrupt international animal rescue efforts and families returning to the US with pets

WASHINGTON (May 8, 2024)—Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a final rule that places restrictions on dogs brought into the United States from countries deemed by the CDC as low-risk or rabies-free countries in addition to high-risk rabies countries, making it harder for international rescue efforts to save vulnerable dogs and for families to travel back to the U.S. with their pets.

HSLF rejects Kristi Noem’s cynical account of killing her family dog

WASHINGTON (April 29, 2024)—South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem continues to dismiss accusations of cruelty in the wake of The Guardian’s report that her upcoming memoir includes passages telling how she ended the lives of her family’s 14-month-old puppy and a goat on their farm. Humane Society Legislative Fund president Sara Amundson responded to Governor Noem’s comments with the following statement:

The Humane Society of the United States urges the horse racing industry to embrace protective measures for horse safety

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 26, 2024)— As racing commences at Churchill Downs ahead of the 150th Kentucky Derby, the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund call for change to address the devastating loss of horse life at each of the Triple Crown races last year and racing in general.

Nix the Prop 12 “Fix”

WASHINGTON (April 10, 2024)—As the National Pork Producers Council takes its anti-animal welfare case to Capitol Hill, the Humane Society Legislative Fund warns against inserting language into the Farm Bill that would invalidate California’s Proposition 12, a state law setting landmark prohibitions on the sale of food products from farm animals locked in cruel and extreme confinement, which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld as constitutional in May 2023.