It's About Animals

The first session of the 106th Congress was completed in November and included some major animal protection victories. The Crush Video Bill, H.R. 1887 passed in the House by a vote of 372 to 42 and in the Senate on a voice vote by unanimous consent. It was then signed into law by President Bill Clinton on Dec. 9, 1999. The bill prohibits interstate commerce in and commercial gain from the distribution of depictions of animal cruelty, including so-called crush videos, marketed as pornography, which show kittens, hamsters, chicks, turtles, and other animals being slowly tortured and crushed to death. Thousands of these videos available on the Internet and through specialty vendors were selling for up to $300 a piece. The legislation was introduced and advanced in the House by Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-CA) and in the Senate by Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), with help from Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Bob Smith (R-NH).

Animals in Law Enforcement, H.R. 1791, sanctioned by the U.S. Customs Service, the National Park Service, the Capitol Hill Police, and other federal agencies, will create stringent penalties for harming dogs and horses used in federal law enforcement. The House passed the bill introduced by Rep. Jerry Weller (R-IL) with bipartisan support from Rep. Steve Rothman (D-NJ), by voice vote. It is currently awaiting approval by the Senate.

Congress took a bite out of companion animal theft when it pressed the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through language added to the bill funding them, to stop awarding research grants to institutions that obtain animals from Class B (or random source) dealers. Many of these dealers treat animals inhumanely and will obtain and sell stolen family pets and shelter companion animals to organizations who conduct invasive research on them. Animal advocates are grateful for the hard work of Rep. John Porter (R-IL) and Sens. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA).

More than a dozen fundamental legislative proposals await attention in the next session of Congress including bills that would:

• limit overuse of antibiotics in farm animals when the drugs are used to prop up abnormally, overcrowded and unsanitary environments - H.R. 3266..
• halt poaching of American bears by prohibiting interstate or foreign commerce of bear viscera (gallbladders and bile) or products that contain them - H.R. 2166.
• prohibit interstate or foreign commerce of tame exotic mammals shot for entertainment or trophies - H.R. 1202, S. 1345.
• reduce public safety risks and protect elephants from abuse by prohibiting interstate transport of elephants in traveling shows and circuses - H.R. 2929.
• establish humane sanctuary facilities for chimpanzees no longer used in medical research - H.R. 3514.
• prohibit the import, export, or sale in the United States of cat and dog fur products - H.R. 1622, S. 1197.
• prohibit the transfer or sale of farm animals who cannot walk because of illness or injury. H.R. 443, S. 515.
• enhance protections provided under the existing Endangered Species Act - H.R. 960.

If you care about animals, you must get involved. Now you can easily find out which of your representatives are concerned about animal welfare issues and how all members of the U.S. Congress are voting, or not voting, on these issues. Visit the Humane Society of the United States web site at www.hsus.org for more information on their Humane Scorecard.

Bob DeFranco is an animal behavior therapist, executive director of the Animal Behavior Center of New York and president of the American Foundation for Animal Rescue, Inc. in Queens. Watch him on Pet Talk Live, Saturdays at 8:30 PM on Channel 34 in Queens and listen to him on the new radio talk show It's About Animals on NewsTalk 1050 WEVD AM on Saturdays at 9:00 PM. Questions or comments? Write P.O. Box 7623, Rego Park, NY 11374 or e-mail him at: bob@canines.com

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