By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
The devastation wrought by the recent deep freeze in Texas is a stark reminder of the urgent need for disaster planning that includes tens of thousands of animals in puppy mills, roadside zoos and other enterprises. Today, to address that need, Representatives Dina Titus, D-Nev., and Rodney Davis, R-Ill., joined by more than 115 cosponsors, have reintroduced a bill to mandate preparedness planning by entities regulated under the Animal Welfare Act.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Cosmetics animal testing is on its way out the world over and U.S. states are rapidly moving in the direction of that trend. Just this month lawmakers in three states—Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey—have moved decisively to end the sales of cosmetics tested on animals and/or prohibit cosmetics animal testing.
Virginia lawmakers last week voted to pass legislation to ban cosmetics animal testing and sales of animal-tested cosmetics. The bill now heads to Gov. Ralph Northam for his signature.
With our final 2020 Humane Scorecard now online, we invite you to check out how your federal legislators stood on a range of key issues. Please share this scorecard with family, friends, and fellow advocates and help spread the word!
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
WASHINGTON (January 14, 2021)—A lawsuit filed today in the federal District Court in Maryland charges the National Institutes of Health with violating federal law when it decided not to send to sanctuary 44 federally owned chimpanzees held at the Alamogordo Primate Facility in New Mexico.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Thirty-seven chimpanzees languishing at a New Mexico primate laboratory are still waiting for the National Institutes of Health to fulfil a promise it made in 2015—to retire them to sanctuary after a lifetime spent in research.
Today, we’re giving these animals a helping hand by suing the federal agency, which has shamelessly reneged on this promise.
It is your support and engagement that makes it possible for the Humane Society Legislative Fund to carry the banner for animals in the U.S. Congress and in state legislatures; secure passage of animal protection statutes at every level; mobilize a healthy grassroots movement to press for good laws, regulations, and enforcement; and do what’s needed to elect humane-minded candidates. That’s why, on behalf of my colleagues, and with the deepest gratitude, I want to assure you that this year—as always—we were at the center of every pro-animal fight there was.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
The appropriations bill and accompanying coronavirus relief/stimulus package for fiscal year 2021 now advancing through Congress will bring critical and much-needed support to millions of Americans. We are also pleased to report that the package, which funds federal agencies, includes a number of wins for animals, including horses, wildlife, companion animals and animals in research.
We’ve advocated for these and other items throughout 2020. Here, in brief, are key measures in the package that benefit animals:
