AR-News: Groups Issue Congressional Scorecard on Animal Protection Measures

[Political Animal]

NATIONAL GROUPS ISSUE CONGRESSIONAL SCORECARD ON
ANIMAL PROTECTION MEASURES

WASHINGTON (March 17, 2004) - The Humane Society of
the United States and The Fund for Animals, in
cooperation with other major national animal
protection organizations, are releasing a “Mid-Term
Report on the 108th Congress,” providing a detailed
picture of animal protection issues that emerged in
Congress between January of last year and February
2004.

The Congress made progress on a number of fronts,
enacting the Captive Wildlife Safety Act and providing
meaningful funding for animal welfare programs,
including enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act and
the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act.  It did, however,
leave several other important issues unresolved,
including measures to increase penalties for animal
fighting and to ban the slaughter of horses for human
consumption, and it rejected some measures that should
have received resounding approval.

“One of Congress’ biggest missteps was its failure to
adopt an amendment to halt the slaughter of downed
animals – livestock too sick or injured to walk - for
human consumption,” stated Wayne Pacelle, a senior
vice president of The HSUS.  This became a major
national issue after the U.S. Department of
Agriculture reported that a cow tested positive for
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in December in
Washington State.  The HSUS, The Fund, and other
groups had long warned that abused downed animals are
far more likely to test positive for BSE than
ambulatory livestock.  

“Had the no-downer policy been in place, the mad cow
in Washington would have never made it into the food
supply and the economic repercussions for the cattle
industry would have been considerably mitigated,”
added Pacelle.  The Congress’ work on the downer issue
did, however, set the stage for the Bush
Administration’s announcement on December 30 of a ban
on the processing of downed cattle for human
consumption.

In addition to bowing to cattle and dairy interests on
the downer ban, the House also caved in to the
National Rifle Association’s demand to allow a
particularly unsporting and reckless type of hunting:
bear baiting.  A free-standing bill to stop bear
baiting on federal lands was gaining momentum and had
attracted nearly 190 cosponsors when the NRA targeted
the measure, causing 26 members to take the unusual
step of withdrawing their co-sponsorship for the
legislation and leading to the defeat of an amendment
on the Interior Appropriations bill.  

“All federal land management agencies tell visitors
never to feed bears, but they allow trophy hunters in
nine states to set up thousands of dump sites –
consisting of rotting meat, jelly doughnuts, and
grease and honey – to lure bears to shoot them at the
bait sites,” said Michael Markarian, president of The
Fund for Animals.  “Besides being cruel and
unsporting, this is a blatant and irreconcilable
conflict in federal land management policy.  It was
sad to see so many members of the House capitulate to
the demands of the NRA even though their instincts
told them that banning baiting was the right ethical
and public safety response.” 

In terms of numeric scoring, while there were many
exceptions on both sides of the aisle, there was a
glaring disparity in scores between Democrats and
Republicans.  Senate Democrats averaged a score of
74.3, while Senate Republicans scored a poor 16.9. 
House Democrats scored 72.6, with House Republicans
averaging just 26.7.  Members of Congress from the
Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Pacific Coast regions
were generally the most reliable supporters of animal
protection, while members from the Interior West,
Great Plains, and the South were the least supportive.
 Members from the Midwest fell somewhere in between.

Nineteen senators scored a perfect 100 (pro-animal on
five of five issues) and 16 scored 80, while 34
senators scored zeroes and seven had a low 20.  There
were 59 House members who scored 100 (pro-animal on
nine of nine issues), with another 47 scoring 89. 
There were just five zero scores in the House, but
there were 125 House members who scored 11.

The groups are mailing copies of the scorecard to
their supporters. The full text is also available on
The HSUS’ web site at www.hsus.org/legislation. It is
also available on the Fund for Animals’ site at
action.fund.org.

The Humane Society of the United States is the
nation’s largest animal protection organization with
more than eight million members and constituents. The
HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active
programs in companion animals and equine protection,
wildlife and habitat protection, animals in research
and farm animals and sustainable agriculture. The HSUS
protects all animals through legislation, litigation,
investigation, education, advocacy and fieldwork. The
non-profit organization, which is celebrating its 50th
anniversary in 2004, is based in Washington, DC and
has 10 regional offices across the country. On the web
at www.hsus.org.

The Fund for Animals, with the mission to “speak for
those who can’t,” was founded in 1967 by author and
animal advocate Cleveland Amory, and is one of the
largest and most active animal protection
organizations in the world. It has spearheaded some of
the most historic efforts for animal protection
through litigation, legislation, education and direct
rescue. The Fund’s world-famous sanctuaries –
including the Black Beauty Ranch in Texas and Wildlife
Rehabilitation Center in California – provide hands-on
care and a safe haven for thousands of abandoned or
abused wild animals including horses, chimpanzees,
elephants, mountain lions and coyotes. On the web at
www.fund.org.


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