The U.S. House Judiciary Committee will hold a congressional hearing this Thursday, July 31, on two brand new, animal protection bills: one to stop the slaughter of horses for human consumption, and one to track animal cruelty crimes.

Here's a message from the President of the Humane Society of the US:

I am delighted to bring you exciting news from our nation's capital. The U.S. House Judiciary Committee will hold a congressional hearing this Thursday, July 31, on two brand new, animal protection bills: one to stop the slaughter of horses for human consumption, and one to track animal cruelty crimes. We need your help getting these new bills started with a bang and building as much congressional support as possible starting right now.

Please take action and urge your representative to track animal cruelty crimes and protect horses!

Similar to the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503/S. 311), the new Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008 (H.R. 6598) will prohibit the sale and transport of horses to be slaughtered for human consumption, including horses exported over long distances to Mexico and Canada. Since this new bill was introduced by Judiciary Committee Chairman Conyers and specifically addresses the extreme cruelty inherent in horse slaughter, it has the potential to move quickly through the process if we can build up enough congressional support. H.R. 503, the anti-slaughter bill we've advocated for in the past, seems stalled, and H.R. 6598 has a better chance of being enacted. Please help us build support for our horses.

The Animal Cruelty Statistics Act of 2008 (H.R. 6597), also introduced by Chairman Conyers with Rep. Elton Gallegly, will require the Department of Justice to make the collection of data on all animal cruelty crimes a priority. Tracking animal abuse, which often is associated with family violence and other crimes, will boost efforts to interrupt the violence cycle. With this information, law enforcement and others can intervene earlier and more effectively to protect animals, children, and families.

TAKE ACTION
It is essential that we gather as many co-sponsors as possible for these two bills. Please make a brief, polite phone call to your U.S. Representative, Gabrielle Giffords, at (202) 225-2542 before Thursday to ask Rep. Giffords to co-sponsor the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act and the Animal Cruelty Statistics Act.

When you call, you will speak to a staff member who can pass your message along to your legislator. Please be polite and professional, and leave your name and address so it is clear that you are a constituent. You can say:

"Hello, my name is [your name] and I live in [your town]. As a constituent, I'm calling to urge Representative Giffords to co-sponsor two important new bills: H.R. 6598, the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, to prevent horses from being cruelly slaughtered for human consumption; and H.R. 6597, the Animal Cruelty Statistics Act, to require the Department of Justice to collect data on animal abuse crimes."

After making your call, send a follow-up email to urge your Representative to protect horses. Then, send a follow-up email to urge your Representative to require tracking animal cruelty crimes.

Thank you for all you do for animals.

Sincerely,

Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States