NEWS
HOUSTON - Legislation
that would put an end to horse slaughter in the United States for the 2006
fiscal year and save the taxpayer an estimated $5 Million could be under serious
threat because of Texas politician, U.S. Representative Henry Bonilla (R-23-TX).
Passed by an overwhelming majority in both the House and the Senate, the
amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations Bill is currently being considered
by a conference committee of Senators and Representatives as they reconcile the
final document for the President's signature.
The word is this is where
Congressman Bonilla is busying himself in an attempt to get the necessary votes
to strip the amendment from the final bill. When confronted by legislators
friendly to the measure, he is quoted as saying, "It's coming out!"
The
amendment should not be altered or omitted according to Congressional rules, but
it appears that this is being ignored. If this happens, horses will continue to
be slaughtered in this country despite overwhelming public and Congressional
support to end the practice. "This is a travesty and yet another example of the
American people being robbed of their voice in Washington. Tragically, it is not
the first time politicians have manipulated behind the scenes to the detriment
and destruction of our horses," states Vivian Farrell of The Fund for Horses.
The Sweeney-Spratt Amendment passed the House by 269-158 on June 8, 2005. The
Ensign-Byrd Amendment containing identical language passed the Senate 69-28 on
September 20, 2005. There are three foreign-owned horse slaughter plants for
human consumption in the United States.
CONTACTS
Congressman Bonilla has five offices to serve constituents in the 23rd Congressional District.
Washington, DC Office
2458 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-4511
(202) 225-2237 fax
San Antonio Office
11120 Wurzbach
Suite 300
San Antonio, TX 78230
(210) 697-9055
(210) 697-9185 fax
Laredo Office
1300 Matamoros Street
Suite 113B
Laredo, TX 78040
(956) 726-4682
(956) 726-4684 fax
Del Rio Office
111 East Broadway
Suite 101
Del Rio, TX 78840
(830) 774-6547
(830) 774-5693 fax
West Texas Office
Brewster County Courthouse
201 W. Avenue E
Alpine, TX 79830
(432) 837-1313
Toll Free 1-800-361-4TEX
Alpine mailing address:
107 W. Avenue E #14
Alpine, TX 79830
Editorial: Bonilla attempted to thwart majority
Web Posted: 10/27/2005 12:00 AM CDT
San Antonio Express-News Americans don't eat horses, just as they don't eat dogs.
Yet foreign companies slaughter horses in three facilities in the United States and ship their meat
abroad for human consumption.
Two of those horse slaughterhouses are in Texas, and gruesome they are.
The mayor of Kaufman, where one of them is located, this fall
urged senators considering an amendment to ban horse slaughter in
the United States to take that action. She said her community suffers
greatly because of the environmental hazards resulting from the industry.
This is no kind euthanasia. With little regulation, horses are shipped without
food and water, run through a gantlet where they may or may not be stunned
unconscious and hoisted by one hind leg. Then their throats are slit like chickens.
Both houses of Congress, by wide margins, passed an amendment that blocks the
sale of horse meat for human consumption by eliminating federal inspection of the meat,
the Associated Press reported. Texas law already forbids the sale of horse meat for human
food. However, according to the AP report, in a conference committee to work out differences
in the House and Senate legislation, San Antonio's Rep. Henry Bonilla, chairman of the agriculture
subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, tried to thwart the will of Congress, as well
as the people of Texas, by unsuccessfully maneuvering to have the amendment removed. This tactic is
absolutely outrageous. Apparently, the economic interests of the foreign companies outweigh the
interests of citizens in the communities where this takes place and the humane issues involved.
The purpose of a conference committee is to reconcile issues on which the two houses of Congress disagree.
A single lawmaker, behind closed doors, should not thwart the will of members of both houses.
Victory: Congress Passes One-Year Horse Slaughter Ban in U.S.
On Wednesday, October 26th, the Agriculture Appropriations
Conference Committee voted to ban the slaughter of horses for
human consumption for one year, giving animal advocates reason
to celebrate. Thanks to everyone who responded to IDA's action
alerts on this issue: the hundreds of letters, emails, faxes and
phone calls from IDA members really made a difference.
Last year, more than 65,000 American horses - including
thoroughbreds, show horses, mustangs, carriage horses, and
family ponies - were either killed in one of three foreign-owned
slaughterhouses in the U.S. or shipped to Canada or Mexico for
slaughter. Thanks to the Horse Slaughter Amendment, the lives of
just as many horses will be spared in fiscal year 2006 because
federal funds can no longer be used to regulate the slaughter of
horses for human consumption. This both makes it impossible for
horse slaughterhouses to function and prohibits the export of
horses intended for human consumption. While the original
language of the amendment called for immediate implementation, a
compromise agreement was reached that will enact the ban in 120
days. This could spell death for another 25,000 horses, but once
the grace period is over, the horse slaughter industry in
America is likely to collapse, being completely unable to
operate for one year.
The Horse Slaughter Amendment is also significant because it
paves the way for passage of the American Horse Slaughter
Prevention Act, an historic piece of legislation that would
permanently ban the transport, possession, purchase or sale of
horses to be slaughtered for human consumption. This legislation
was introduced in the Senate on Tuesday as S. 1915. Passage of
this bill and its equivalent in the House (H.R. 503) would
create a permanent ban on horse slaughter in America. The
American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act already has the support
of the vast majority of Americans, as well as many legislators
in both the House and Senate. To strengthen this bill's chances
of success, animal advocates must once again make their voices
heard.
What You Can Do:�
Find out how your Senators voted �on the Horse Slaughter Amendment, and
Find out how your Representative voted �
Please thank those who voted in favor of the amendment to end
horse slaughter in America for one year, and urge those who
voted against the measure to please reconsider their position by
cosponsoring the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R.
503 for Representatives, S. 1915 for Senators).�
You can take action on this alert
PLEASE take action by November 22, 2005
URGENT ALERT!
Horse Slaughter Amendment Undermined, Will of Congress Thwarted The Ensign-Byrd horse slaughter amendment is in jeopardy.
In spite of being passed by both the House and Senate by two land-slide votes and surviving attempts to strip it from the 2006 Agriculture Appropriations Bill during the Conference Committee, the Ensign-Byrd horse slaughter amendment has been undermined by provisions added by opponents of the legislation seeking to allow the foreign-owned horse slaughter industry to continue its operations, thwarting the will of Congress and the American people. Pro-slaughter lawmakers headed by Representative Henry Bonilla (R- TX), ignoring Congressional rules and in a blatant disregard for the will of Congress and the American people, modified the amendment language to delay its implementation for 120 days during which the horse slaughter plants will be able to stay open, reducing the overall amendment's length from one year to eight months and resulting in the slaughter of 25,000 additional horses before the amendment becomes effective.
In addition, another last minute provision amending the Federal Meat Inspection Act could prevent legislators from introducing new amendments removing funds for mandatory USDA horsemeat inspection next year. This outrageous assault to democracy and the will of the majority cannot be tolerated. WHAT CAN YOU DO Although it is too late to remove the language delaying the implementation of the amendment, two bills introduced in Congress, H.R. 503 �the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act - and its Senate version S. 1915, will permanently ban the slaughter of American horses and their exportation for slaughter.
Please call and fax your Representative asking him to cosponsor H.R. 503 and your two U.S. Senators urging them to cosponsor S. 1915. In addition, contact the members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce requesting them to cosponsor H.R. 503 and those of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation asking them to cosponsor S. 1915. Please start calling and faxing early Monday morning and do not stop until further notice! To find out who your legislators are Click here go to� or www.congress.org . In the following links you can find a list of phone, fax and email addresses of the members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. These lists are also availabe for download at the files section of the board�Againstslaughter Click here for lists (File names "House Committee on Energy & Commerce Contact Info Directory.doc" and "Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.doc" A phone and fax directory of all Representatives and Senators of the 109th Congress is available for download HERE::: Made with CoffeeCup : Web Design Software & Website Hosting :::
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE AMERICAN HORSE DEFENSE FUND:
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Senator John Ensign (R-Nev.) has introduced the Virgie S. Arden American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S. 1915) in the U.S. Senate, which would prohibit the slaughter of horses for human consumption. Co-sponsors include Senators Mary Landrieu (D-Lou.), Robert Byrd (D-W.V.), Arlen Specter (R-Penn.), Trent Lott (R-Miss.), Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), Daniel Inouye (D-Haw.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Jim DeMint (R-S.C.). The bill has been referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
The legislation is a companion bill to the House bill (H.R. 503), and like the House measure the bill would amend the Horse Protection Act, which was enacted in 1970 to prohibit the showing, sale, or transporting for show or sale, of horses that have been subjected to a painful process known as �soring� to accentuate their gait. The Animal and Plant Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture enforces the HPA.The legislation provides that Congress finds, among other things, that:Horses play a vital role in the collective experience of the U.S. and deserve protection and compassion;
Horses are domestic animals that are used primarily for recreation, pleasure, and sport;
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.
The bill would amend the Horse Protection Act to prohibit �the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of any horse or other equines to be for slaughter for human consumption.�Such activities would be made a violation of the Horse Protection Act, and subject individuals to penalties of up to $3,000 and/or one year in jail for the first offense, and up to $5,000 and/or two years in jail for a second offense. An offender may also be subject to civil penalties of $2,000 for each violation.The legislation also gives the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to �detain for examination, testing, or the taking of evidence� any horse which the Secretary has �probable cause to believe is being shipped, transported, moved, delivered, received, possessed, purchased, sold, or donated in violation of� the prohibitions.The bill authorizes $5 million for enforcement of the Act.
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