Animal Welfare Group Urges Louisiana Voters to Choose Humane Candidates for Office

WASHINGTON (Aug. 14, 2008)—Citing their leadership and support of animal protection policies, the Humane Society Legislative Fund announces its endorsements in the general election of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) in the state's U.S. Senate race and Reps. William Jefferson (D-2nd) and Charles Boustany (R-7th) for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives.

"In order to have humane laws, we need to elect humane lawmakers," said Sara Amundson, executive director of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. "We urge Louisiana voters to elect candidates who support the humane treatment of animals."

Sen. Landrieu is the lead sponsor of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, S. 311, which would stop the export of American horses for slaughter in foreign countries. She has also supported numerous animal protection measures, including increased funds for the adequate enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, federal animal fighting law, and new programs that address the needs of animals in disasters.

Rep. Jefferson has consistently scored high marks on the annual Humane Scorecard for supporting animal protection legislation, including measures to strengthen the federal law against dogfighting and cockfighting; protect threatened polar bears from trophy hunting; restore the prohibition on the commercial sale and slaughter of wild horses and burros; stop the slaughter of American horses for human consumption; stop the killing of bison in Yellowstone National Park; prohibit the trade in dangerous primates as exotic pets; and include pets in disaster planning.

Rep. Boustany has also voted in favor of establishing felony-level penalties for dogfighting and cockfighting, as well as requiring disaster plans to include pets. This year, he supported legislation to provide funding to protect imperiled crane populations around the globe—the most endangered family of birds in the world.

Boustany's challenger, Democratic State Senator Donald Cravins, Jr., has been one of the leading opponents of animal welfare in the state legislature, and has been the go-to lawmaker for cockfighters in the state. Cravins led the fight against legislation to ban cockfighting in Louisiana, and offered "poison pill" amendments seeking to delay the phase-out of cockfighting and give animal fighters additional time to be titillated by the violence and bloodletting. He was one of only four senators who voted against a bill in 2007 to ban gambling at cockfights.

"Louisiana has become the 50th state to outlaw cockfighting, and it's become a consensus position that animals should not be pitted against each other to fight to the death for amusement and gambling," added Amundson. "Every member of Louisiana's federal delegation rightly supported tougher penalties for illegal dogfighting and cockfighting, and we shouldn't allow the cockfighters' point man to take one of those seats in Congress."

HSLF is a nonpartisan organization that evaluates candidates based only on a single criterion: where they stand on animal welfare. HSLF does not judge candidates based on party affiliation or any other issue.

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Media contact: Heather Sullivan: 301-548-7778, hsullivan@hslf.org

The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a social welfare organization incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and formed in 2004 as a separate lobbying affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The HSLF works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office. On the web at www.hslf.org.

Paid for by Humane Society Legislative Fund and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. HSLF, 519 C Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002.