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(May 1, 2008)— WASHINGTON — Citing him as one of the top animal protection advocates in the U.S. Senate, the Humane Society Legislative Fund announced that it has endorsed U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg in New Jersey's Democratic primary slated for June 3.
"There is no stronger animal welfare advocate in Congress than Senator Lautenberg," said Michael Markarian, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. "Lautenberg has been one of our best leaders in fighting for public policies to halt cruelty and abuse. In order to pass humane laws, we need humane lawmakers like Senator Lautenberg. New Jersey voters who care about animal welfare should support his reelection."
Sen. Lautenberg has not only introduced animal protection legislation but has been responsible for shepherding several of these federal policies to passage. In 2000, Congress adopted some provisions of Lautenberg's bill, the Safe Air Travel for Animals Act, to make flying friendlier for dogs and cats. The law requires airlines to improve animal care training for baggage handlers and to produce monthly reports of all incidents involving animal loss, injury, or death so consumers can compare safety records.
In 2006, Congress passed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act, which Sen. Lautenberg co-authored with Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska. Introduced in response to the tragedy of tens of thousands of animals being lost or abandoned during Hurricane Katrina, the PETS Act requires state and local communities to have disaster plans for pets and service animals, and allows FEMA to assist with emergency planning and sheltering of pets.
In the current session of Congress, Sen. Lautenberg is the lead author of the Sportsmanship in Hunting Act, S. 2912, which would ban the interstate commerce in tame, exotic mammals such as lions and zebras for the purpose of shooting them inside fenced pens at captive trophy hunting ranches. He has previously introduced other measures to protect wildlife, such as a resolution calling on Japan to stop "drive hunts" in which dolphins and small whales are chased into shallow waters and stabbed with long knives or trapped with nets to be sold into captivity.
As a longtime champion of animal protection issues, Sen. Lautenberg has consistently earned a perfect score of 100 percent each year on the Humane Scorecard, and he has been the recipient of the Humane Leader Award and Humane Champion Award. HSLF notes that U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews has also been an advocate of the humane treatment of animals, but Lautenberg gets the nod for a career-long commitment to animal welfare and active leadership on these issues.
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. | 
