SAOVA News and Updates

FEDERAL LEGISLATION

HR 5434/S 3424 PUPPY UNIFORM PROTECTION AND SAFETY ACT (PUPS)
H.R.5434 Sponsors: Representatives Sam Farr [CA-17]; James Gerlach [PA-6]; Lois Capps [CA-23]; Bill Young [FL-10] (introduced 5/27/2010); S.3424 Sponsors: Senators Richard Durbin [IL]; David Vitter [LA]

The Sportsmen’s & Animal Owners’ Voting Alliance (SAOVA) is OPPOSED to HR 5434/S 3424 Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety Act (PUPS) in its entirety.
FULL POSITION STATEMENT, BILL TEXT, SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS HERE

HR 4733 PREVENTION OF FARM ANIMAL CRUELTY ACT
Sponsor: Rep Watson, Diane E. [CA-33] (introduced 3/2/2010) Cosponsors (36). Latest Major Action: 6/18/2010 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry.
Position: OPPOSE
HR 4733 would prevent the federal government from buying pork, veal or eggs for any of its sponsored feeding programs (including school lunch and breakfast, nutrition programs, military or federal building cafeterias) if the pig was in a gestation stall, the veal calf raised in a stall or the eggs came from hens housed in cages. Virtually all livestock production would be affected. The costs to the federal government would overwhelming.

S373 CONSTRICTOR SNAKE BAN
A bill to amend title 18 to include constrictor snakes of the species Python genera as an injurious animal.
Sponsor: Sen Nelson, Bill [FL] (introduced 2/3/2009) Cosponsors (1) Related Bills: H.R.2811 Latest Major Action: 12/10/2009 Senate committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee on Environment and Public Works. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

HR669 Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act would ban non-native species until approval process. Read more....

Jan 2009. HR 305 Short Title: HORSE TRANSPORTATION SAFETY ACT of 2009.
To amend title 49, United States Code, to prohibit the transportation of horses in interstate transportation in a motor vehicle containing 2 or more levels stacked on top of one another. Sponsor: Rep Kirk, Mark Steven [IL-10] (introduced 1/8/2009) Cosponsors (60) Latest Major Action: 1/8/2009 Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Jan 2009 HR 503 Short Title: PREVENTION OF EQUINE CRUELTY ACT 2009.
To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit certain conduct relating to the use of horses for human consumption. Sponsor: Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14] (introduced 1/14/2009) Cosponsors (182) Latest Major Action: 3/16/2009 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
Position: OPPOSE.
Related Links:
National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
Animal Welfare Council. Special Report: Expert Predictions on Equine Welfare Realized

March 2009 Companion Bill S727 Short Title: PREVENTION OF EQUINE CRUELTY ACT of 2009.
To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit certain conduct relating to the use of horses for human consumption. Sponsor: Senator Mary Landrieu [D, LA] Cosponsors (28) Latest Major Action 3/26/2009 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Position: OPPOSE.

March 2009 HR 1549 PRESERVATION OF ANTIBIOTICS FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT ACT of 2009 (Introduced in House)
Sponsor: Rep Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [NY-28] Cosponsors (113) Latest Major Action: 7/13/2009 House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee Hearings Held. The HR 1549 seeks to eliminate the "non-therapeutic" use of antibiotic drugs considered important for human health. The bill defines 'non-therapeutic use', with respect to a critical antimicrobial animal drug, as use of a drug as a feed or water additive for an animal in the absence of any clinical sign of disease in the animal for growth promotion, feed efficiency, weight gain, routine disease prevention, or other routine purpose.
Position: OPPOSE.
Related Links:
AVMA Summary of Opposition
AVMA Says Pew Commission report is flawed, unscientific
NCBA Urges Congress to Examine the Science in the Discussion of Antibiotics

July 2009 HR 3480 BEAR PROTECTION ACT of 2009
Sponsor: Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] introduced 7/31/2009 Cosponsors (47) Latest Major Action 8/10/2009 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife. Bill prohibits interstate trade of bear viscera for any purpose.
Position: OPPOSE. American Black Bear populations are healthy and not in danger from poachers for the purpose of trading in parts. Asian bears are being threatened by the trade in bear parts; however HR 3480 does not address this issue or contain funding resources for Asian nations.

July 2009 H.R.1018 Title: RESTORE OUR AMERICAN MUSTANGS ACT
Sponsor: Rep Rahall, Nick J., II [WV-3] (introduced 2/12/2009) Cosponsors (7) Related Bills: H.RES.653, S.1579 Latest Major Action: 7/20/2009 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Position: OPPOSE

ROAM Amends the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act to revise provisions concerning the management of such animals.
(Sec. 5) Requires the Secretary of the Interior (for Bureau of Land Management [BLM] administered lands) or the Secretary of Agriculture (for Forest Service administered lands) to: (1) ensure that, to the extent practicable, acreage available for wild and free-roaming horses and burros is at least equal to the acreage where they were found in 1971; update the inventory of such horses and burros annually and make it publicly available on the BLM website every two years; identify new rangelands, and establish sanctuaries or exclusive use areas exhaust all practicable options of maintaining a thriving natural ecological balance on the range before removing horses and burros.

However, ROAM also revokes provisions that allow the Secretaries to destroy: "(1) old, sick, or lame animals; (2) excess horses and burros for which an adoption demand does not exist."
Wild horses and burros may only be destroyed if proven to have "a hopeless prognosis for life" or "An acute or chronic illness, injury, physical condition or lameness that would preclude an acceptable quality of life for the foreseeable future."
Congressional Budget Office estimates that implementing H.R. 1018 would cost about $200 million over the 2010-2014 period and require the Bureau of Land Management to manage herds on about 20 million more acres of public land.

October 2009. HR 3749 RECREATIONAL FISHING AND HUNTING HERITAGE AND OPPORUNITIES ACT
To recognize the heritage of recreational fishing, hunting, and shooting on Federal public lands and ensure continued opportunities for these activities. The legislation will prevent situations from emerging where public land is closed arbitrarily for hunting, fishing and shooting, mandating that such closures be done through a reasonable and transparent process.Sponsor: Rep Boren, Dan [OK-2] (introduced 10/7/2009) Cosponsors (61) Latest Major Action: 10/7/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife.
Position: SUPPORT

October 2009. S 1770 RECREATIONAL FISHING AND HUNTING HERITAGE AND OPPORUNITIES ACT
To recognize the heritage of recreational fishing, hunting, and shooting on Federal public lands and ensure continued opportunities for these activities. Sponsor: Sen. Lisa Murkowski [R-AK] (introduced 10/8/2009) Cosponsors (2) Latest Major Action: 10/7/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Position: SUPPORT

The Monthly National Legislation Report is published once a month listing available reports of dog and animal legislation in all States.
The Monthly National Legislation Report