November 1, 2006

Animal Welfare Group Urges 5th District Voters to Re-Elect Ackerman 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 Gary Ackerman for New York’s 5th Congressional District in the November election.

“In order to pass humane laws, we need humane lawmakers like Representative Gary Ackerman.,” said Sara Amundson, executive director of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “Voters in the 5th District who care about animal welfare should support his re-election.”

Representative Ackerman is the author of two major pieces of animal protection legislation. He introduced the Downed Animal Protection Act, H.R. 3931, which seeks to stop the sale of sick and injured farm animals who are dragged to slaughter with ropes, chains, bulldozers, and forklifts. These “downers” pose a greater risk of “mad cow disease” and other threats to our food supply. He is also the author of the Antifreeze Bittering Act, H.R. 2567, which would require the addition of a bittering agent to sweet-tasting engine coolant and antifreeze to prevent pets, wildlife, and children from being poisoned.

In his ten years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Gary Ackerman has been a strong supporter of animal protection. Here are just a few of the other actions that Representative Ackerman has taken to help animals:

• Animal Fighting: He 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 voted consistently to end the slaughter of tens of thousands of American horses for food exports to France, Belgium, and other countries where horse meat is considered a delicacy. And he has co-sponsored the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.
• Pets in Disasters: He co-sponsored the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act to require emergency planning for pets and service animals, keeping people and pets together during disasters.
• Enforcement of Animal Welfare Laws: He has consistently supported efforts to increase funding to improve enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, and federal animal fighting law.
• Bear Baiting: He voted for legislation to stop the unsporting and inhumane trophy hunting of bears over piles of grease and jelly doughnuts on our federal lands.
• Big Cats: He supported legislation that ended the interstate commerce in lions, tigers, and other big cats for the pet trade.
• Yellowstone Bison: He voted to stop the killing of American bison in Yellowstone National Park.

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.

Media Contact: Julia Janak, jjanak@hslf.org, (425) 208-1684.

--30--

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.fund.org.