The Government Affairs section supports public policies—principally at the state and federal levels—to protect animals. Look up legislative efforts in each state.

The 110th Congress is under way, and we're at an unprecedented point in history when it comes to animal protection legislation. We have already celebrated major victories this Congress with the enactment of the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, and key measures in the Final Farm Bill. As we move forward to take advantage of this historic opportunity, here's a look at some of the other issues we're working on during this session. Be sure to make your voice heard in support of these bills.

Horse Slaughter (H.R. 6598)
Similar to H.R. 503/S. 311, this brand new bill would  end the suffering endured by more than 100,000 horses each year who are hauled across the country and cruelly slaughtered for human consumption overseas. Tell your legislators to end the slaughter of America's horses and prevent their export for slaughter abroad.

Dog and Cat Fur Prohibition Enforcement Act (H.R. 891)
Recent HSUS tests showed that animal fur is frequently mislabeled or marked as faux. Tell your legislators to stop the sale of fur from raccoon dogs and require that all fur garments be labeled.

Downed Animals (H.R. 661/S. 394) Downed animals suffer terribly on their way to slaughter and are at a higher risk of carrying diseases. Tell your legislators to end the use in human food of animals too sick or injured to stand or walk on their own, and require that they be immediately and humanely euthanized.

Great Ape Protection Act (H.R. 5852) Approximately 1,200 chimpanzees are languishing in laboratories across the United States. Tell your legislators to phase out the use of chimpanzees in invasive research and retire the estimated 600 federally-owned chimpanzees to permanent sanctuary.

Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act (H.R. 1726) Creates animal welfare standards for food purchased by the federal government (for the military, prisons, school lunches, etc.) Tell your legislators that farm animals should be treated humanely, for their good and ours.

Other important legislation we’re working on that needs your help includes:

• Toxic Wildlife Poisons (H.R. 4775) to end commerce in the highly toxic, commonly used "Compound 1080" that cause terrible suffering for wildlife and unintended targets such as pets.
• Class B Dealers (H.R. 1280/S. 714) to protect dogs and cats sold to research by "Class B Dealers" (who acquire animals from free-to-good-home ads and "bunchers" who steal family pets).
• Pet Trusts (H.R. 2491) to allow the creation of charitable pet trusts under the federal tax code.
• Internet Hunting (H.R. 2711) to bar remote-controlled hunting, in which computer users can aim and fire a weapon to kill captive wildlife hundreds of miles away.
• Primates as Pets (H.R. 2964/S. 1498) to prohibit interstate and foreign commerce in nonhuman primates for the pet trade
• Canadian Seals (H. Res. 427/S. Res. 118) to urge Canada to end its commercial seal hunt.

These are just some of the issues we’re tackling in Congress. We hope you’ll work with us to make this a historic year for animals! And don't forget that you can see how all legislators in the 110th Congress scored on animal protection issues at www.humanescorecard.org.