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September 28, 2006
With Full Page Ads, Animal Welfare Group Pushes for Vote on Rep. Green’s Animal Fighting Bill Before Congress Adjourns This Week
WASHINGTON — The Humane Society Legislative Fund has taken off the gloves in the fight to pass legislation to crack down on illegal animal fighting. In a full-page advertisement running in today’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, HSLF names House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-5th/Wisc.) as joining illegal dogfighters and cockfighters in opposing a vote on the bill, which was introduced by fellow Wisconsin Republican Rep. Mark Green (R-8th/Wisc.).
The Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, H.R. 817, establishes a felony-level penalty for any interstate or foreign transport of animals for fighting purposes. The bill also makes it a crime to move cockfighting implements – such as razor-sharp knives and ice-pick-like gaffs strapped to roosters’ legs – in interstate or foreign commerce. The bill passed the Senate unanimously 17 months ago, but has been stalled by Chairman Sensenbrenner who refuses to bring it up in his committee.
The advertisement lists a number of organizations and individuals that support the bill, including:
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324 cosponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives – three-quarters of the entire House
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Wisconsin Humane Society
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Wisconsin Sheriff and Deputy Sheriffs Association
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American Veterinary Medical Association
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National Coalition Against Gambling Expansion
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National Chicken Council
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American Veterinary Medical Association
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National Sheriffs’ Association and more than 400 state and local law enforcement agencies
Congress will adjourn at the end of this week. Dozens of House and Senate members have been pleading with the House leadership to pass the animal fighting bill before they recess for the elections.
“Hundreds of law enforcement, poultry industry and animal welfare groups are backing the animal fighting bill, and there are no reputable groups on the other side,” said Michael Markarian, HSLF president. “Rep. Green’s bill would help communities crack down on the scourge of organized animal fighting and stamp out violent crime and other social ills. Why should Rep. Sensenbrenner align himself with dogfighting and cockfighting interests and thwart an up-or-down vote on this anti-crime legislation?”
“We just can’t understand why Chairman Sensenbrenner is trying to hurt Mark Green’s effort to get this sensible and enormously popular policy adopted,” added Markarian.
Nationwide, there has been on average of one murder every month related to dogfighting or cockfighting over the past year. In June, a man was shot dead in Chicago for refusing to fight his pit bull. Additionally, the transport of cockfighting birds has been linked to the spread of deadly bird flu and nine human fatalities in Southeast Asia.
A copy of today’s Journal Sentinel advertisement is at www.fund.org. HSLF ran a similar ad yesterday in Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper.
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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.fund.org.
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