- To
find out how your legislator voted on this amendment
click here. Please thank those who voted in favor
of protecting America's horses from slaughter and ask
them to co-sponsor the American Horse Slaughter
Prevention Act (H.R. 503) if they haven't done so
already.
Landslide U.S. House of
Representatives Vote
to End Horse Slaughter
WASHINGTON, DC (June 8, 2005) - For
the second time in just three weeks, the U.S. House of
Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor of stopping
horse slaughter in the United States. Yesterday's 269-158
landslide vote bars federal funds from being used to
facilitate all horse slaughter. A previous amendment only
prevented wild horses from going to slaughter.
"The facts and truth about the immense
cruelty inflicted on America's horses won out last night,
despite strong last-minute efforts by pro-horse slaughter
organizations such as the American Veterinary Medical
Association and American Quarter Horse Association to
mislead Members of Congress," said actress Bo Derek,
spokesperson for the National Horse Protection Coalition, of
which the Society for Animal Protective Legislation (SAPL)
and Doris Day Animal League are founding members.
Because yesterday’s amendment is attached to
an annual spending bill, it will only stop horse slaughter
for one year. The U.S. Senate must also approve the
measure, which will be the next focus for the coalition.
The vote demonstrates strong public and congressional
support for a permanent ban -- which must be achieved
through passage of H.R. 503, the American Horse Slaughter
Prevention Act. U.S. Representative John Sweeney (R-NY),
who sponsored yesterday’s amendment, is also the sponsor of
the Act. He is joined on both measures by his colleagues,
U.S. Representatives John Spratt (D-SC), Ed Whitfield (R-KY)
and Nick Rahall (D-WV).
"The vote on an amendment by Congressmen Sweeney, Spratt,
Rahall and Whitfield is a huge victory on behalf of our
campaign to end horse slaughter. These tremendous
legislators, their incredible staff and all of those who
voted in favor of ending horse slaughter showed us what good
can come from the halls of Congress," said Chris Heyde, SAPL
policy analyst.
“We always believed that if we could just bring this issue
before the full Congress, we would prevail. The facts, and
the American public, support an end to horse slaughter.
Congress listened, and we are one step closer to making
horse slaughter a thing of the past in this country. But
Americans must continue to push Congress for a permanent
ban,” said Liz Ross, director of special projects for the
Doris Day Animal League.
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