October 18, 2006

Animal Welfare Group Urges 1st District Voters to Re-Elect Chabot for Congress on November 7

WASHINGTON —  Citing him as a leader on animal welfare policy in the U.S. House of Representatives, Humane Society Legislative Fund announced that it has endorsed U.S. Representative Steve Chabot for Ohio’s 1st Congressional District in the November election.

“In order to pass humane laws, we need humane lawmakers like Representative Chabot.,” said Richard Patch, political director of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “Voters in the 1st District who care about animal welfare should support his re-election.”

In his twelve years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Steve Chabot has been a strong supporter of animal protection. He has consistently scored high marks on the Humane Society Legislative Fund’s Humane Scorecard. Here are just a few of the actions that Representative Chabot has taken to help animals:

• Animal Fighting: He has co-sponsored the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act to strengthen the penalties for illegal dogfighting and cockfighting, making it a felony to transport animals across state lines for these gruesome and barbaric fights.
• Horse Slaughter: He has cast his vote five times to end the slaughter of tens of thousands of American horses for food exports to France, Belgium, and other countries. And he has co-sponsored the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.
• Pets in Disasters: He has supported the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act to require emergency planning for pets and service animals, keeping people and pets together during disasters.
• Downer Livestock: He has supported legislation to stop the sale of sick and injured farm animals who are dragged to slaughter with ropes, chains, bulldozers, and forklifts. These so-called “downer” livestock pose a greater risk of “mad cow disease” and other threats to our food supply.
• Big Cats: He has supported legislation that ended the interstate commerce in lions, tigers, and other big cats for the pet trade.
• Predator Control: He has cast his vote twice to eliminate taxpayer funding for government agents to kill coyotes and other predators with cruel traps, poisons, explosives, and aerial gunning, as a subsidy for private ranchers.
• Trapping on Refuges: He has supported legislation to stop the use of steel-jawed leghold traps and wire neck snares on National Wildlife Refuges for recreational trapping and commerce in fur pelts.
• Dolphin Protection: He has supported legislation to protect dolphins from drowning in deadly tuna fishing nets.
• Crush Videos: He has supported legislation which successfully banned the commercial sale of so-called “crush” videos, in which scantily clad women in high heels slowly crushed small animals for the sexual gratification of viewers.
• Bear Protection: He has co-sponsored the Bear Protection Act, which would prohibit the interstate and foreign commerce in bear gallbladders and bile, in order to halt the poaching of American bears for Asian medicines, cosmetics, and shampoos.

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. A complete list of HSLF’s endorsements is available online at www.humanevoting.com.

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Humane Society Legislative Fund (HSLF) is a social welfare organization incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. 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. Contributions or gifts to HSLF are not tax deductible. Your donation may be used for lobbying to pass laws to protect animals, as well as for political purposes, such as supporting or opposing candidates. HSLF does not accept contributions from business corporations or labor organizations. On the web at www.hslf.org.