2008 Public Policy

AQHA ACTION ALERT - SENATE BILL 311

Dear AQHA Member:

TRANSPORTING ANY HORSE FOR ANY ACTIVITY MAY BE AT RISK!

Senator Mary Landrieu (D)-Louisiana, has succeeded in scheduling Senate Bill 311 for a floor vote. You may recall
this bill reads “To amend the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption, and for other purposes.

Senator Landrieu has offered the following amendment to this bill:

Section 3 of the Horse Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 1822) is amended to add the following:

`(1) horses and other equines play a vital role in the collective experience of the United States and deserve protection and compassion; `(2) horses and other equines are domestic animals that are  used primarily for recreation, pleasure, and sport;
`(3) unlike cows, pigs, and many other animals, horses and other equines are not raised for the purpose of being slaughtered for human consumption; `(4) individuals selling horses or other equines at auctions are seldom aware that the animals may be bought for the purpose of being slaughtered for human consumption; `(5) the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture has found that horses and other equines cannot be safely and humanely transported in double deck trailers;'; and (3) by striking paragraph (8) (as redesignated by paragraph (1)) and inserting the following:  `(8) the movement, showing, exhibition, or sale of sore horses in intrastate commerce, and the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation in intrastate commerce of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption, adversely affect and burden interstate and foreign commerce;'. (c) Prohibition- Section 5 of the Horse Protection Act  (15 U.S.C. 1824) is amended--

(1) by redesignating paragraphs (8) through (11) as paragraphs  (9) through (12), respectively; and (2) by inserting after paragraph 7 the following: `(8) The shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of any horse or other equine to be slaughtered for human consumption.'. (d) Authority To Detain- Section 6(e) of the Horse Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 1825(e)) is amended--(1) by striking the first sentence of paragraph (1); (2) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) and as paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively; and (3) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as redesignated by paragraph (2)) the following: (1) The Secretary may detain for examination, testing, or the taking of evidence-- `(A) any horse at any horse show, horse exhibition, or horse sale or auction that is sore or that the Secretary has probable cause to believe is sore; and `(B) any horse or other equine that the Secretary has probable cause to believe is being shipped, transported, moved, delivered, received, possessed, purchased, sold, or donated
in violation of section 5(8).'. (e) Authorization of Appropriations- Section 12 of the Horse Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 1831) is amended by striking `$500,000' and inserting `$5,000,000'.

This bill may have far-reaching effects on our members and their ability to buy and sell horses. Members may sell horses unaware of the buyer's intent with the animal and to where it may be transported, possibly resulting in legal ramifications for the seller. This legislation is vague and ambiguous and its passage could have far-reaching consequences. We urge you to contact the senators of your state and voice your opposition to this legislation and the funding to enact it. To contact your senator, telephone (202) 224-3121 and ask to be transferred to your senators' offices. When speaking  with your Senators' office, please tell them you are opposed to Senate Bill 311 as written.

Congress resumes business on Monday, December 3^rd.
Please do your part and call on Monday!

AQHA PUBLIC POLICY COMMITTEE

Here are the names and #s for our Alabama STATE legislator[s] and senator[s].

We are working on a state issue [Bills : HB 432 and SB 258 ] 


MEMBERS OF THE SENATE

** Denotes New Senator, elected November 7, 2006.

*** Senator Charles Bishop previously served two terms in the Senate, 1983-1990.

# Click on the Member's name to access his/her home page. Please note: E-mail addresses are provided by those Senators who have a personal e-mail address and wish such listed on their home page. We do not provide a general e-mail address for all Senators. However, constituents may easily obtain telephone and postal information necessary to contacting their Senator.

MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE

Most members that do not list a personal email address can be reached through the House email system by using the following format: firstname.lastname@alhouse.org.

There are some members that do not have access to email. The general email for the House can be reached by clicking here. You should include the name of the House member you wish to contact in the subject line of the e-mail. Be advised that this e-mail address is a central e-mail post office that House employees use to forward a printed copy of the email to members. Therefore, messages sent here should not be considered personal, privileged, or confidential communication.

For additional information, please feel free to contact Clay Redden at (334) 242-4753.

AQHA: OPPOSE HR 503, The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act

 AQHA: Encourage Your Congressmen to CoSponsor Right to Ride Legislation