The Issues

Proposed Legislation and Public Policy

Ask your U.S. Representative to Join the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus

Legislative offices commonly report that they receive more calls about animal protection issues than virtually any other issue. In response to the importance of animal welfare issues, many members of Congress have joined to form the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus. Co-chaired by Reps. Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Tom Lantos (D-CA), the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus works to draw attention to issues of importance to its membership and to pass important animal protection legislation. This year alone, the caucus has been instrumental in pushing forward legislation to ban horse slaughter and to increase penalties for illegal animal fighting.

In June 2006, the Congressional Friends of Animal Caucus hosted a forum on farm animal welfare issues. Nearly 100 animal advocates and legislative staff packed the room to hear a panel of speakers, including Farm Sanctuary's Gene Baur, address farm animal welfare concerns in the U.S. During the forum, farm animal advocates called upon Congressional leadership to develop standards in the production, transport and slaughter of animals raised for food. In particular, efforts to extend the federal protections of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act to poultry were discussed, as was the passage of the Downed Animal Protection Act, a permanent ban on the slaughter of downed livestock.

In the last legislative session, the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus boasted 25 members, but four of its members lost their seats during the last elections, bringing the current caucus membership down to only 21. We need to increase this number, because the power of a caucus and its ability to push legislation is tied in with the number of its members.

You Can Help!

Please contact your U.S. Representative and ask him or her to join the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus. Let your Representative know you care about animal protection, and that his or her support of animal issues is of paramount importance.

To look up the names of and contact information for your U.S. Representative, visit www.house.gov or simply call the U.S. Capitol switchboard, 202-224-3121, and ask them to help connect you to your Rep's office.

For more information, contact campaign@farmsanctuary.org.