AWI Quarterly Articles | Government/Legal

Representatives Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and David Schweikert (R-AZ) have reintroduced the Traveling Exotic Animal and Public Safety Protection Act (TEAPSPA), which would amend the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit the use of exotic animals...

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Take Reduction Teams—composed of industry leaders, scientists, nongovernmental organizations, and state and federal officials—advise NMFS on reducing harm to marine mammals from fishing gear. In April, the Atlantic Large...

Zero. That’s how much money was in the proposed budget for enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) under the Reagan administration. This attempt to gut funding made clear that administration’s total lack of interest...

As in Washington, DC, the new year ushered in new sessions in state legislatures, and bills to improve animal welfare have been introduced in several of them—including the Michigan circus animal bill mentioned at left...

Before leaving office, former governor Rick Snyder vetoed a pair of bills that were pitched as efforts to strengthen oversight of pet stores but which in fact would have allowed the continued sale of animals...

At the end of 2018, Hawaii became just the second state (after New Jersey) to prohibit the use of exotic animals in traveling shows. On December 21, Governor David Ige signed a new rule, which...

As the 116th Congress gets underway, a number of bipartisan bills that benefit animals have already been introduced in the House of Representatives: The Pet Safety and Protection Act (HR 689) — Introduced by Reps...

The 115th Congress ended in chaos and rancor, with a large portion of the government shut down amidst a continuing battle over the border wall. Congress did manage to complete work on the 2018 farm...

AWI sued the US Department of Agriculture in November for failing to respond to a four-and-a-half-year-old rulemaking petition. The petition calls for regulations under the Federal Meat Inspection Act and Poultry Products Inspection Act to...

California’s foie gras ban is now in effect for the foreseeable future—a win for ducks, geese, and animal welfare advocates. In an anticlimactic conclusion to years of contentious litigation and debate, the US Supreme Court...