Group Says Knollenberg Has "One of the Worst Records on Animal Cruelty in Congress"

WASHINGTON, DC (Oct. 20, 2008)—The Humane Society Legislative Fund launched its first television advertisements today opposing the reelection of U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg in Michigan's 9th Congressional District. The ads will air over the next two weeks on Detroit broadcast television and Oakland County cable. The group has also sent mailings to thousands of animal welfare supporters and is canvassing door-to-door across the district.

"Joe Knollenberg has one of the worst records on animal cruelty in Congress," said Michael Markarian, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. "Oakland County voters who care about the humane treatment of animals need to know that Joe Knollenberg is simply out of step with the mainstream values of protecting animals from abuse and harm. He's got a long and embarrassing record of opposing moderate animal welfare policies, and voters will see through his phony election-year conversion on animal issues."

The 30-second ad shows images that highlight several of Rep. Knollenberg's votes on key animal protection issues in recent years, citing dates and web links for each of the votes. The narrator says: "Joe Knollenberg has one of the worst records on animal cruelty in the country. He voted against preventing sick cows from entering our food supply. He voted to allow the killing of threatened polar bears, and the slaughter of American horses. Joe Knollenberg even voted against enforcing the law used to stop dogfighting. It's time for a new Congressman. Humane Society Legislative Fund is responsible for the content of this advertising."

Click here to view the TV ad.

In his 16 years in Congress, Rep. Knollenberg has opposed numerous common-sense animal welfare reforms. Some of his votes on animal protection issues include the following.

• Horse Slaughter: He voted against the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, H.R. 503 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll433.xml—September 7, 2006), to prohibit the slaughter of American horses to be served as a foreign delicacy in France and Belgium.

• Animal Fighting: He voted against the Blumenauer-Tancredo amendment to H.R. 2673 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2003/roll355.xml—July 14, 2003) which provided $800,000 for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to improve enforcement of the federal law against animal fighting—the same law that was later used to break up Michael Vick's dogfighting ring.

• Polar Bears: He voted against the Inslee-LoBiondo amendment to H.R. 2643 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll573.xml—June 27, 2007) to prohibit wealthy American trophy hunters from importing the heads and hides of sport-hunted polar bears killed in the Arctic.

• Downer Cattle: He voted against the Ackerman-LaTourette amendment to H.R. 2673 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2003/roll357.xml—July 14, 2003) to protect our food supply and stop the abuse of sick and crippled cattle too weak to walk to slaughter. Six months after that vote, a downer cow in the U.S. tested positive for "mad cow disease."

• Bear Baiting: He voted against the Gallegly-Moran amendment to H.R. 2691 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2003/roll382.xml—July 17, 2003) to stop the inhumane and unsporting practice of shooting bears over piles of pizza and jelly doughnuts on national forests.

• Lethal Predator Control: He voted against the DeFazio-Bass amendment to H.R. 1906 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1999/roll172.xml—June 8, 1999) and the DeFazio-Bass-Morella amendment to H.R. 4461 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2000/roll382.xml—July 11, 2000) to end the use of tax dollars to kill predators with cruel traps and poisons as a government subsidy for private ranchers.

• Dolphin-Safe Tuna: He voted for H.R. 408 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1997/roll151.xml—May 21, 1997) which ended the embargo on dolphin-deadly tuna and weakened protections for dolphins caught in tuna nets, and he voted against the Miller amendment to H.R. 2670 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1999/roll382.xml—August 5, 1999) to limit U.S. funding of the international tuna fishing convention, which allows the use of dolphin-deadly nets.

• Trapping: He voted against the Farr-Whitfield amendment to H.R. 2466 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1999/roll291.xml—July 14, 1999) to stop the use of steel-jawed leghold traps and wire neck snares to kill and maim animals for their fur pelts on national wildlife refuges.

• Fur Subsidies: He voted against the Shays-Deutsch amendment to H.R. 1976 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1995/roll553.xml—July 21, 1995) which eliminated a $2 million annual subsidy for the luxury mink coat industry.

• Foreign Trophy Hunting: He voted against the Fox-Miller amendment to H.R. 2159 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1997/roll359.xml—September 4, 1997) to stop the use of tax dollars to promote the trophy hunting of African elephants and other foreign species as a rural development strategy.

• Yellowstone Bison: He voted against the Rahall amendment to H.R. 2691 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2003/roll383.xml—July 17, 2003) to protect the last free-roaming buffalo herd in Yellowstone National Park from government slaughter.

• Wild Horses and Burros: He voted against the Rahall-Whitfield-Sweeney-Spratt amendment to H.R. 2361 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll196.xml—May 19, 2005), and voted against H.R. 249 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll269.xml—April 26, 2007), to restore the decades-long protection for wild horses and burros on public lands from commercial sale and slaughter.

HSLF is a nonpartisan organization that endorses both Democratic and Republican members of Congress. HSLF's endorsements in Michigan for the 2008 election include: U.S. Sen. Carl Levin (D); U.S. Reps. Vernon Ehlers (R-3rd), Dale Kildee (D-5th), Fred Upton (R-6th), Mike Rogers (R-8th), Thaddeus McCotter (R-11th), Sander Levin (D-12th), Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-13th), and John Conyers (D-14th); and challengers Mark Schauer (D-7th) and Gary Peters (D-9th).

HSLF evaluates candidates based on two overarching criteria: their viability and their stands on animal protection policies. HSLF does not judge candidates based on party affiliation or any other issue.

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Media contact: Pepper Ballard: 301-258-1417, pballard@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 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.