THE VOTE IS TODAY! - UPDATE 9/23

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judiciary.house.gov/hearings/hear_073108.html

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Here is the link to the web cam:
judiciary.house.gov/hearings/calendar.html

Click on the "Watch Video Webcast" under the date "9/10/08".

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UPDATE ON TODAY’S MARK-UP IN THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

The Committee mark-up and vote did not take place today. Some discussion occurred earlier today among the members, and the issue was extremely contentious in the Committee. Due to the controversial nature of the discussions as well as other issues (10 bills and none were finished) before the Committee, the mark-up and vote has been delayed. Support is still strong on the Committee, but opponents are doing everything they can to delay final Committee action.


As of now we do not know when it will take place, it could be at any time. It is critical that you keep up the pressure on Congress by contacting your Representative and Senators, particularly if your Representative is a member of the House Judiciary Committee. As soon as we have more news, we will post it here. In the mean time if your Representative is not a cosponsor of H.R. 6598, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act please urge them to cosponsor as soon as possible. We need to have as much support for the bill when it reaches the floor of the House. Thank you very much for your efforts.


Sincerely,

Chris


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Christopher J. Heyde
Deputy Director, Government and Legal Affairs
Animal Welfare Institute
PO Box 3650
Washington, DC 20027
Tel: [phone] ~ Fax: [phone]
www.awionline.org/
www.compassionindex.org/

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www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/press_releases/federal_ban_on_horse_slaughter_one_step_closer.html

Federal Ban on Horse Slaughter One Step Closer


September 23, 2008

The Humane Society of the United States praises the House Judiciary Committee for favorably passing legislation to ban the slaughter of American horses for human consumption overseas, as well as the export of American horses to other countries for slaughter, and urges swift passage of the bill by the full House. House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) introduced the bill, H.R. 6598, known as the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008.

"H.R. 6598 will take American horses off the menu for good," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. "Horses are an American icon who deserve better than to be shipped hundreds of miles in unbearable conditions to slaughter plants in Mexico and Canada where they will be cruelly slaughtered for human consumption. I thank Chairmen Conyers and Scott and Congressman Burton for their leadership and the bipartisan group of legislators who voted to pass this bill on to the House floor for vote."

Butchering horses is a particularly cruel end for these loyal and trusting creatures. HSUS undercover investigators followed "killer buyers" transporting horses thousands of miles from auctions to feedlots to interstate highways, and documented the horrific cruelty and abuse of this transport. They also documented a barbaric method of slaughter on a kill floor in Juarez, Mexico. Thousands of horses are stabbed with short knives, a method that leaves them paralyzed and unable to breathe. The animals are still conscious as they are hoisted up by a chain on a rear leg and their throats are slit.

Video footage from The HSUS' horse slaughter investigations can be viewed and downloaded for broadcast or news websites at video.hsus.org.

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Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act Passes House Judiciary Committee

Moves to House Floor for Consideration


WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 23, 2008) - Despite three weeks of stonewalling by horse slaughter proponents on the House Judiciary Committee, H.R. 6598, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act passed by a voice vote after the majority rejected several poison pill amendments.
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) and subcommittee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) for their swift shepherding of this crucial legislation through the committee, which was achieved with bipartisan support.

"By moving this bill, Chairman Conyers, lead cosponsor Representative Dan Burton and Representative Scott are acting in line with the more than 70 percent of Americans who oppose the senseless slaughter of our nation's horses," said Chris Heyde, AWI deputy director of government and legal affairs. "But opponents of this legislation persist in their attempts to mislead the public, and make horses pawns in their political games."

Despite the claims of horse slaughter supporters, horse slaughter is neither humane, nor a necessary evil. The horses - of which more than 92 percent are deemed to be healthy, adoptable and "in good condition" by the US Department of Agriculture - suffer terribly from start to finish.

"Our opponents love to suggest that horse slaughter is a necessary evil, without which the country will be overrun with a 100,000 horses annually," notes Heyde. "That's ludicrous. At most, a few dozen may be confiscated during a criminal investigation, and AWI will work to ensure any such horses are cared for. This isn't a humane disposal service for sick and old horses; it's a predatory business that is making a profit off the death of healthy horses."

AWI urges House leadership to follow through on the Judiciary Committee's decisive action, and bring the legislation up for a vote before the full House before adjourning at the month's end. Every five minutes Congress fails to act, another horse is slaughtered.

Each year, more than 100,000 horses are purchased at auction by killer-buyers for export to Canada and Mexico, where they are brutally slaughtered for human consumption. In some cases, the killing method involves activities such as knife stabbing.

In the last Congress, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan bill banning horse slaughter for human consumption by a vote of 263 to 146. The bill was not taken up by the Senate before the end of the congressional session.

(PLEASE KEEP YOUR CALLS AND EMAILS GOING OUT TO CAPITAL HILL www.visi.com/juan/congress/ SO THIS HORRIBLE INDUSTRY CAN BE ENDED BEFORE CONGRESS ADJURNS!!!)