AR-News: Congressman Goodlatte (R-VA) Condemns Cockfighting, Calls for Tough Legislation

[Political Animal]

Goodlatte: Animal fights a 'cruel thing' 
By Bill Freehling 
Lynchburg News & Advance 
Wednesday, April 21, 2004 
U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte is calling for the aggressive
enforcement of state and federal laws prohibiting
animal fighting. 

The Humane Society of the United States estimates that
40,000 people fight pit bull terriers in the country,
and cockfighting draws significantly higher numbers. 

"This is an abomination," said Goodlatte, R-Virginia.
"This is an extraordinarily cruel thing." 
Central Virginia animal wardens suspect organized dog
and rooster fighting, but they haven't caught anybody
in the act. 

The U.S. Humane Society offers up to $2,500 for
information leading to the arrest and conviction of
animal fighters. 
The organization has also lobbied Congress to pass a
bill that would make the interstate shipment of birds
and dogs used for fighting a felony. 

Goodlatte chairs the House Committee on Agriculture,
in which the animal fighting bill has been stalled
since last year. 

Goodlatte said he supports the bill, but only about a
quarter of the committee's 51 members agree with him.
So it's been impossible to move the bill into the full
House. 

Wayne Pacelle, senior vice president of the humane
society, said about half the House and Senate supports
the bill. 
"There's no excuse for inaction on this," Pacelle said
previously. 
Goodlatte said the House agriculture committee is
composed of mostly rural politicians whose communities
often abound with animal fighting. 

If the bill passed, violators could get up to two
years in prison - double the current maximum. 
Goodlatte points out that animal fighters can already
get a year behind bars. He said $16.7 million in
federal funds were allocated for enforcement last
year. 

"There's money available to investigate and
prosecute," he said. 
The interstate shipment of birds and dogs became a
federal misdemeanor in 2002 when the Farm Bill passed.

Previously, it was legal to ship the animals to states
where cockfighting is legal - currently just Louisiana
and New Mexico. 

Since the Farm Bill passed, Goodlatte said, 4,947
birds have been confiscated and 640 arrests have been
made. Many of the birds were euthanized, and humane
societies often put down dogs that've been fought. 

All seizures have been at the state level - none in
Virginia, according to information Goodlatte provided.
Goodlatte encourages the U.S. Departments of Justice
and Agriculture to also crack down. 

"We need to be encouraging federal law enforcement to
prosecute these cases," he said. 
Cockfighting is a felony in 30 states. It's a
misdemeanor in Virginia. 
Dog fighting is illegal in every state and a felony in
all except Idaho, Iowa and Wyoming. It's a felony in
Virginia. 
Goodlatte is optimistic that the federal bill
currently stalled in committee will one day pass. 
"This is something that has broad-based support," he
said. 



	
		
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