AWI Quarterly Articles | Government/Legal

In May, the Illinois legislature passed HB 4843, a bill introduced by Rep. Martin Moylan (D) to restrict the sale of ivory and rhino horn within the state. On August 14, Gov. Bruce Rauner (R)...

A law passed in 2016—the 21st Century Cures Act—has given the research industry the opening that it has sought to reduce oversight of the treatment of animals. This law requires a review of all regulations...

The Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, HR 2, was defeated on May 18 in the US House of Representatives by a vote of 198-213. This massive farm bill came to the floor loaded with...

The picture for marine mammals isn’t entirely rosy, however. After 45 years as the nation’s premier law protecting marine mammals, the MMPA faces several attacks in Congress. Of particular concern are HR 3133, the Streamlining...

Congress finally passed an “omnibus” funding measure for the remainder of the current fiscal year. Thanks to the intervention of our allies in the House and Senate, the barrage of messages to Congress from animal...

On March 23, National Puppy Day, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed “Ponce’s Law” to increase penalties for animal abusers. Named after a Labrador puppy found beaten to death, the new law raises animal cruelty from...

This year, Indiana and Ohio officials floated the idea of establishing trapping seasons for bobcats in their respective states (and a hunting season in Indiana). Fortunately, after local AWI members and others expressed fierce disapproval...

In March, Iowa enacted a law that will require most egg retailers in the state to continue carrying “conventional” eggs from hens raised in densely packed battery cages. Only those stores that had already fully...

Pennsylvania, long notorious for its weak repercussions for even the worst cases of abuse, took a giant leap forward when Governor Tom Wolf signed Libre’s Law. The state finally acted as a result of public...

Two states and several local governments joined a growing list of jurisdictions acting on behalf of wild and exotic animals exploited by circuses and other traveling exhibitions this past year. In Los Angeles, Councilman David...