Rhode Island Considers Better Protection of Farm Animals
AWI staff traveled to Rhode Island in February to testify in favor of S 2192 and S 2032, bills to ban tail docking of cattle and to create an online animal abuser registry.
Please see the below articles about Government/Legal from past editions of the AWI Quarterly.
Record Fine Assessed Against Ringling Bros.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey - the “Greatest Show on Earth” according to its slogan - has a new distinction that probably won’t appear in its promotional materials: The circus company has been slapped...
Ag-Gag Bills Back on the Agenda for 2012
Undercover investigations by animal advocates are an increasingly important tool in exposing the disturbing realities of factory farming. However, a number of states have begun to consider legislation aimed squarely at the messenger rather than...
Feds Saddling Up to Finally Enforce Horse Protection Act?
The federal Horse Protection Act of 1970 (HPA) is supposed to protect Tennessee Walking Horses and other gaited breeds from “soring,” the practice of applying chemicals or mechanical devices to horses that inflict pain in...
Aerial Assault on Animals Flies Under the Radar
In mid-December, the advocacy group, WildEarth Guardians, settled a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought in federal court against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to obtain reports related to the aerial killing of...
Appropriations: Good News
As far as animals are concerned, the catch-all bill that Congress passed at December’s end to fund government operations through the rest of FY 2012 is as important for what it doesn’t do as for...
Appropriations: Bad News
For the first time in six years, Congress has opened the doors to restarting horse slaughter in the U.S. The bill to fund the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the rest of FY 2012 was...
Bill Takes Aim at Circus Animal Abuse
Lions and tigers and bears...do not belong on the road! It is impossible for circuses and other traveling exhibitors to meet the very complex needs of wild and exotic animals.
One Step Forward and Two Back for Endangered Species
In a rare victory for endangered species, the House adopted a floor amendment to the FY 2012 Interior appropriations bill offered by Reps. Norm Dicks (D-WA), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Colleen Hanabusa...
Bill Would Give Class B Dealers the Boot
The Pet Safety and Protection Act, H.R. 2256 (PSPA), introduced by Reps. Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Chris Smith (R-NJ), prohibits random-source Class B dealers from selling dogs and cats to laboratories for experimentation