The annual appropriations process for fiscal year 2010 will begin in October, offering an avenue to improve animal welfare by directing Congress to spend—or not spend—money in certain ways.
Earlier this year, AWI President Cathy Liss testified before the House Interior appropriations subcommittee in support of much needed funding to protect wildlife and combat wildlife crime. In testimony to other subcommittees, AWI requested strengthened enforcement of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, modest increases in spending on the Animal Welfare Act and the Horse Protection Act, and a ban on the use of federal money to purchase or conduct research using animals from Class B dealers.