October 31, 2006

Ensign is Congress’ Top Champion of Animal Welfare, Says HSLF

LAS VEGAS —  Today, Wayne Pacelle, executive vice president of Humane Society Legislative Fund, announced the organization’s endorsement for the reelection of U.S. Senator John Ensign. The announcement was made during a press conference at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel.

“Senator John Ensign is one of the leading advocates for animal welfare in the entire U.S. Senate, and we need his voice in the Congress,” says Wayne Pacelle of HSLF.  “We urge all humane-minded Nevadans to support him.”

Humane Society Legislative Fund also unveiled a prominent advertisement of the endorsement in today’s Las Vegas Review-Journal. To see a copy of the ad, click here.

The advertisement underscores the high marks Sen. Ensign achieved on the HSLF’s Humane Scorecard for the following issues:

• He is the author of legislation to crack down on illegal dog fighting and cockfighting.
• He is the author of legislation to stop the inhumane slaughter of America’s horses for human consumption overseas.
• He is the cosponsor of a bill to crack down on “puppy mills.”
• He has fought for increased funding for enforcement of animal welfare laws.
• He cosponsored enacted legislation which requires evacuation plans for pets in disasters. He also visited animal rescue emergency shelters in the Gulf during Hurricane Katrina.
• He was the author of legislation, also signed into law, to ban the trade in lions, tigers and other big cats for the exotic pet industry. He is cosponsor of a similar bill on dangerous primates.

“As a veterinarian, he speaks with special credibility on animal welfare, and he has had a remarkable record of accomplishment in advancing legislation to combat animal fighting, horse slaughter, protecting pets in disasters, and the exotic pet trade,” adds Pacelle.

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.org .  For the U.S. House of Representatives, HSLF is backing Shelley Berkley (D-1st), Jill Derby (D-2nd), and Jon Porter (R-3rd).

Media Contacts: Karen L. Allanach (301) 548-7778, kallanach@hsus.org ; Julia Janak, 425-208-1684, jjanak@hslf.org .

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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.