Issue Position: Animal Welfare

Issue Position

Throughout Senator Landrieu's tenure in the U.S. Senate, she has taken a strong stand for animals. An avid horse lover, she often spends her downtime at the stables with her horse Ms. Oreo. Her family also enjoys the companionship of Sugar Belle, a Wheaten Terrier.

American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011, S. 1176

Senator Landrieu is the lead sponsor of S. 1176 because she has witnessed the deplorable conditions horses suffer from when being transported long distances. Healthy horses end up bleeding, suffering from broken bones and other injuries in transport. Once at a slaughter facility, it often takes an employee two or three times to correctly stun a horse by captive gun bolt, causing the horse to suffer and be stricken with pain and terror. This legislation seeks to put an end to these to practices and conditions and end the exportation of horses to Mexico and Canada for slaughter.

Horse Transportation Safety Act, S. 1281

Senator Landrieu is a co-sponsor of S. 1281. The Horse Transportation Safety Act will ban all double decker transportation of horses. Double decker livestock trailers were built to meet the needs of short-necked livestock species, like cattle, sheep, and swine. Haulers use these trailers against manufacturer intent to transport horses, leading to inhumane travel conditions for the animals. The U.S. Department of Transportation only requires bridges to have a vertical clearance of 14 feet in both rural and urban areas, making it impractical to build or modify a trailer large enough to transport horses on two levels. This practice should be halted, which is why Senator Landrieu supports this legislation.

Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety Act of 2011, S. 707

Senator Landrieu is a co-sponsor of S. 707, the "PUPS Act," which will mandate U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) licensing and regulation for breeders who sell directly to the public and raise more than 50 puppies per year. It will also create minimum exercise requirements for dogs at USDA licensed facilities. Senator Landrieu is committed to addressing abuses in puppy mills.

Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, S. 1947

Senator Landrieu is a co-sponsor of S. 1947. The Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act will make it a felony to knowingly attend an animal fighting venture. Animal fighting is illegal in all 50 states, and this is an important step in ensuring that these activities no longer occur.

Wild Horses and Burros

America's wild horses and burros are a national treasure, and they are protected by the 1971 Wild Horses and Burros Act. Yet they are being removed from their lands at unprecedented numbers and placed in expensive holding facilities. The program is broken and needs to be fixed to provide for a more humane and more economically sound management of these animals. Senator Landrieu is working with the Bureau of Land Management and Congressional leaders to protect the habitat dedicated to these animals and to also protect their genetic viability.

Animal welfare bills Senator Landrieu has supported in past sessions of Congress:

Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act of 2007, making it a crime to engage in animal fighting ventures;

Chimp Haven is Home Act, which prohibits chimpanzees that have been retired to Chimp Haven near Shreveport, Louisiana from being called out of retirement for research purposes;

Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006, which mandates that FEMA include pets in natural disaster evacuation plans;

Pets Safety and Protection Act of 1998, which amends the Animal Welfare Act to declare the permissible sources of research facilities for dogs and cats.

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