Tag: 2006

Horse Slaughter Legislative Timeline 2006

 State and Federal Legislation including
109th U.S. Congress (2005—2006)

DATE VENUE ACTIVITY RESULT
January 2006 USDA Letter sent to USDA dated Jan. 17th from members of Congress demanding enforcement of the Amendment of the Ag Budget Bill suspending funding of USDA inspections at horse slaughter plants. See “USDA skirts horse meat ban“. USDA ignores these demands and instead implements “fee-for-service” inspections commencing in March 2006.
January 2006 109th Congress, 2nd Session H.R. 503 adds 9 co-sponsors. Total = 143
February 2006 United States District Court, District of Columbia Animal Rights groups & individuals sue the USDA and Sec’y of Agriculture Johanns re fee-for-service arrangement contrary to Congressional mandate. Unsuccessful. Fee-for-service to commence Mar. 10, 2006.
February 2006 109th Congress, 2nd Session H.R. 503 adds 5 co-sponsors. Total = 148
March 2006 109th Congress, 2nd Session H.R. 503 adds 8 co-sponsors. Total = 156
April 2006 109th Congress, 2nd Session H.R. 503 adds 3 co-sponsors. Total = 159
May 2006 109th Congress, 2nd Session Sweeney-Spratt Amendment vote held May 17th. SUCCESSFUL. Wins unanimously. Passes as is in Conf. Cmte. Suspends funding for sale of wild horses & burros FY 2007.
May 2006 109th Congress, 2nd Session H.R. 503 adds 16 co-sponsors. Total = 175
June 2006 109th Congress, 2nd Session H.R. 503 adds 22 co-sponsors. Total = 197
July 2006 109th Congress, 2nd Session July 13, 2006. Rep. Whitfield requests unanimous consent to refer H.R. 503 to the Committee for Energy & Commerce and the Committee on Agriculture. Agreed to without objection.
July 2006 109th Congress, 2nd Session July 25, 2006. Hearing of the Subcommittee of the U.S. Committee for Energy & Commerce held re H.R. 503. (Sidenote: U.S. House Agriculture Committee did not respond within deadline to mark up the Bill.) Discharged with no amendments, and a favorable report to the House, July 26, 2006.
July 2006 109th Congress, 2nd Session July 27, 2006. Hearing of the House Committee for Agriculture held despite missed deadline to mark up the Bill. Opponents only allowed to testify; numerous poison-pen amendments introduced and passed, many unanimously. Discharged with an unfavorable report to the House. Referred to the Rules Committee for reconciliation.
September 2006 109th Congress, 2nd Session September 7, 2006. H.R. 503, debated and voted on in the House. Wins 263-146. Certified by the Clerk and reported to the Senate.
September 2006 109th Congress, 2nd Session September 8, 2006. H.R. 503 received in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
September 2006 109th Congress, 2nd Session September 11, 2006. H.R. 503 read the second time in the Senate. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 603.
September 2006 109th Congress, 2nd Session September 12, 2006. Wrong version of H.R. 503 discovered reported to the Senate (included amendment from the Ag Cmte Hearing) Clerical error reported to the Clerk.
September 2006 109th Congress, 2nd Session September 18, 2006. Previous actions regarding erroneous version of H.R. 503 vitiated by Unanimous Consent. (CR S9686). Returned to the House pursuant to the provisions of H.Res.1011 by Unanimous Consent.
September 2006 109th Congress, 2nd Session September 19, 2006. Message on Senate action sent to the House regarding erroneously reported version of H.R. 503. H.R. 503 papers returned to the House.
September 2006 109th Congress, 2nd Session September 20, 2006. Correct version of H.R. 503 received in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
September 2006 109th Congress, 2nd Session September 21, 2006. Correct version of H.R. 503 read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 631.
December 2006 109th Congress, 2nd Session Despite intensive lobbying by advocates, Bill blocked and never reaches the Senate floor for a vote. Dies. UNSUCCESSFUL.
December 2006 109th Congress, 2nd Session All Sessions concluded, the 109th Congress adjourns. All legislation left pending is dead, and no work carries forward. Bills must be re-introduced and started afresh.

Compiled by Vivian Grant Farrell

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Memory of horse deaths mars opening of Flicka the movie

Image of horse that appears on Flicka the movie poster.
Image of horse that appears on Flicka the movie poster.

LOS ANGELES, California (Oct. 17, 2006) — “Flicka” is a feel-good movie about a wild horse and the teenager who tries to tame her. However, the making of the movie was anything but feel-good for the horses killed during its filming.

The American Humane Association, who oversees the safety of animals on movie sets, had four representatives on the set of “Flicka” from the first day of production, and pre-approved all activities planned for the horses. It was under the AHA’s oversight that two horses were killed within the span of two weeks.

On April 11, 2005, the AHA reported that a horse broke his leg and was euthanized. In a studio briefing dated April 25, 2005, the AHA disclosed that a second horse broke his neck and died during the filming of “Flicka” two days earlier.

Observers of the second event were quoted as saying that the horse was one of four who were galloping around an arena trailing 30-foot ropes and fell when his back legs became entangled in the ropes. Others reported that two horses stumbled, presumably over the ropes, and collided.

An eyewitness account sent by email to the Int’l Fund for Horses alleged that in creating a wild horse race for “Flicka,” a group of horses were “released into an arena with wranglers jumping on the terrified horses, biting them, dragging them down and otherwise assaulting them.” The horses panicked and two collided heavily into each other. One of the horses did not get back up, sustaining a broken neck, and died. There were conflicting reports on whether or not the horses were trained rodeo horses.

“It doesn’t matter if the horses were trained or not. Trailing long ropes behind galloping horses, intentionally frightened to boot, is a recipe for disaster. A terrified horse will fight or flee, and injuries are bound to happen,” states Int’l Fund for Horses President, Vivian Farrell.

The Screen Actors Guild pay the AHA to monitor animal use in films and award the “No Animals Were Harmed”® End Credit Disclaimer according to standards set by the organization. After the deaths of the horses, the AHA did an internal investigation and concluded the deaths were “unavoidable” and that there was proper oversight on the part of the group. However, they agreed that the movie would not be given the usual “No Animals Were Harmed”® credit at the end of the film.

“Whether or not the deaths were unavoidable I cannot state without reservation. However, it is crystal clear that animals were harmed, harmed to the point of death,” comments Farrell.

Fox 2000 Pictures releases “Flicka,” the long-awaited movie remake of Mary O’Hara’s treasured novel, starring Tim McGraw and Alison Lohman nationwide on October 20th.

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Radnofsky offers support for horses

Barbara Ann Radnofsky, rival for Texan Kay Bailey Hutchison’s seat in the US Senate, calls for her opponent to take a stand on horse slaughter

Barbara Ann Radnofsky
Barbara Ann Radnofsky

Houston, Texas (Oct. 15, 2006) – Barbara Ann Radnofsky, Texas Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, took a stand on the issue of horse slaughter and legislation currently before the US Senate banning the practice, calling on her opponent Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison to voice her opinion on the bill.

Two of the three horse slaughter plants operating in this country are in Texas. Polls show that a majority of Texans are firmly against it, and support federal legislation amending the Horse Protection Act making horse slaughter and export for slaughter illegal. The companion bill to S. 1915, H.R 503, passed the U. S. House of Representatives 263-146 and is now awaiting a vote in the Senate.

Radnofsky made this statement to the horse advocate group, Int’l Fund for Horses, “I absolutely support the bill. I call on my opponent to denounce the overbreeding fueling the market for slaughtered horsemeat.”

Horses endure incredible hardships on the way to slaughter, but that is nothing compared with the cruelty that awaits them at the slaughter plant. Statistics gathered by one of the largest horse theft prevention organizations in the country, Stolen Horses International, shows that 60% of horses stolen end up at horse slaughter plants. This is a violation of the property rights of horse owners that can never be remedied.

“Without this bill, horse theft and abuse will continue to increase,” adds Radnofsky.

“Barbara Ann Radnofsky’s position on this issue is welcome news,” comments Int’l Fund for Horses President, Vivian Farrell. “Between Cornyn’s hostility towards the bill, and Hutchison’s do nothing attitude, Texans are looking for a voice in Washington. They have certainly not gotten it on the horse slaughter issue.”

In sharp contrast to Radnofsky’s support for the bill, her rival in the Senate race, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), has been on the fence since the bill was introduced in October 2005.

Members of the Int’l Fund for Horses’ Texans for Horses group have been contacting Senator Hutchison consistently, with frustrating results.

“When I telephoned Senator Hutchison’s office before the mid-term election break in an effort to get an answer on behalf of our Texas constituents, I was surprised by the less than friendly reception I received,” comments Farrell. “When I finally got through to Hutchison’s aide, he told me that he had spoken to the Senator and that as far as she is concerned, the horse slaughter bill is a “non-issue” and “not on her radar.”

Radnofsky is clearly dedicated to representing the concerns of all Texans and not afraid to take a stand on the issues important to them.

“For Texans who want to see the practice of horse slaughter banned, Barbara Ann Radnofsky offers a superior alternative to what we already have in Washington,” concludes Farrell.

A U.S. Senate debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters and KLRN-TV will be taped and then broadcast at 9:00 p.m. (CST) on all PBS affiliates throughout the state on Thursday, October 19. Barbara Ann Radnofsky, Scott Jameson, and Kay Bailey Hutchison have all confirmed participation in the debate.

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