AR-News: Dayton Daily News on Humane Scorecard

[Political Animal]

                    Copyright 2004 Dayton Newspapers,
Inc.
                            Dayton Daily News (Ohio)

                       March 28, 2004 Sunday CITY
EDITION

SECTION: LIFE; Pg. E2

LENGTH: 690 words

HEADLINE: OHIO LAWMAKERS FARE POORLY

BYLINE: Laurie Denger

HIGHLIGHT: CRITTER CORNER

BODY:

   Using the way American legislators have voted on
several issues, the Humane Society of the United
States and the Fund for Animals issued a scorecard on
how every U.S. senator and representative has voted
when it comes to animal rights and environmental
policies during the first session of the 108th
Congress.

   And let's just say the news is not good for most
Ohio lawmakers.

   To be fair, Sen. Mike DeWine received a 60 percent
score - the highest for an Ohio senator and way above
all the other Miami Valley representatives, most of
whom scored 22 percent or lower.

   DeWine received his score for his pro-animal votes
on a bill to increase the penalties to a felony for
violating the federal law prohibiting interstate and
foreign commerce in animals for fighting; for voting
to prevent consideration of drilling in the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge; and for signing a letter to
the Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee seeking
an increase of $800,000 to improve enforcement of the
federal animal fighting law.

   He was recorded as making an anti-animal vote for
his position against requiring resource management
plans for military bases to protect endangered
species.

   Ohio's other senator, George Voinovich, scored 0
for his votes against the ban on drilling in the
wildlife refuge and against requiring the resource
management plans on military bases.

   In the House of Representatives, none of the Miami
Valley's legislators received a score higher than 22 -
that was Michael Oxley from the 4th District.

   Oxley received his poor score for voting against
increasing funding for improving enforcement of the
federal animal fighting law; voting against an
amendment prohibiting funding for bear baiting on
federal lands; voting against barring the National
Park Service and Forest Service from using federal
funding to kill Yellowstone bison; and voting against
striking provisions in the energy bill that allows oil
and gas drilling in the arctic wildlife refuge.

   Oxley received points for voting to ban the
slaughter, import, export, trade and transport of
horses for human consumption and for voting to bar
interstate and foreign commerce of lions, tigers,
leopards, cheetahs, jaguars and cougers for the pet
trade.

   The Miami Valley's other representatives - John
Boehner of the 8th District, David Hobson of the 7th
District, Rob Portman of the 2nd District and Mike
Turner of the 3rd District - were scored at 11
percent.

   Each of them received their scores for anti-animal
votes on legislation against providing $800,000 to
improvement enforcement of the federal animal fighting
law; barring the USDA from spending funds to inspect
and approve downed livestock for human consumption;
for prohibiting using funds for bear-baiting on
federal lands; for striking provisions in the energy
bill allowing oil and gas drilling in the Arctic
wildlife refuge and for rejecting a move to bar the
National Park Service and Forest Service from using
federal funds to kill Yellowstone bison.

   Boehner, Portman and Turner received pro-animal
points for voting to ban interstate and foreign
commerce of the big cats. Hobson received pro-animal
points for voting to increase the penalties to a
felony for violating the federal law prohibiting
interstate and foreign commerce in animals for
fighting.

   To see how other legislators voted, visit
http://www.hsus.org or call (202) 955-3668. If you
don't like the way your legislator voted on an animal
rights issue, you know what to do. Call the
legislator's office or write a letter or fax a message
to let them know how they are doing.

   




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