Providing For Consideration OF H.R. 5566 and the Senate Amendment Thereto

Floor Speech

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5566 AND THE SENATE AMENDMENT THERETO -- (Extensions of Remarks - November 17, 2010)

SPEECH OF
HON. ELTON GALLEGLY
OF CALIFORNIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2010

* Mr. GALLEGLY. Madam Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 5566, which would stop the sale of animal crush videos.

* Nearly everyone agrees that Congress must stop the creation and distribution of animal crush videos, which graphically depict the abuse and killing of animals. In 1999, legislation I introduced to prohibit crush videos was signed into law by President Bill Clinton. This bill effectively shut down the crush video industry. Unfortunately, after the Supreme Court ruling that struck down this law as too broad, however, crush videos came back on the market.

* H.R. 5566 passed the House July 20, 2010, by a 416-3 vote. The Senate passed a slightly modified version in September by unanimous consent. But instead of passing the Senate version, the House passed a resolution agreeing to the Senate version but with an amendment.

* The House amendment would strip language that makes it a federal crime, punishable by up to seven years in jail, to attempt or conspire to create or distribute a crush video. Under current statute, it is already a federal crime to conspire to violate any federal criminal law, with punishment up to five years in jail.

* Given the few remaining days left in this session of Congress, I am concerned that after the House passes this legislation, the Senate will not consider this bill once again and crush videos will continue to proliferate.

* I look forward to working with my friends on both sides of the aisle to enact a new law to ban crush videos as soon as possible.

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