Wild-horse advocates round up support

Nevada Appeal-Wild-horse advocates round up support for full protection
Former free-roaming horses will be used to carry letters to politicians
Karen Woodmansee, Appeal Staff Writer, June 28, 2005

Wild-horse advocates are saddling up to rebut what they say are
inaccurate statements from several Nevada politicians regarding the condition
of Nevada's wild horses.

The group will use former wild horses as carriers in the "Mustang
Express" to deliver hundreds of letters from the public to U.S. Sens. Harry
Reid, D-Nev., and John Ensign, R-Nev., U.S. Reps. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev.,
and Jon Porter, R-Nev., urging them to reinstate full federal
protection against the sale and slaughter of wild horses.

The letters will be delivered to a demonstration at noon Wednesday in
the common area between the Capitol and the Legislative Building.

"They keep saying they're (the horses) starving to death, yet at the
same time, the BLM says they're reproducing 20 percent a year," said
Bonnie Matton, member of the Alliance of Wild Horse Advocates. "If they're
starving to death, how do they have these big numbers?"

The organization believes recent legislation proposed by Reid, Ensign,
Porter, Gibbons and U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., is inadequate to
protect the state's wild horses and wants full federal protection
restored.

The proposed "Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Sale and Adoption Act
of 2005" would reduce the minimum adoption fee from $125 to $25 per
horse, eliminate the limit of four horses per adoptive household per year
and make all excess horses available for sale.

The 34-year ban on slaughtering wild horses was repealed by Congress in
December, and since then at least 32 horses have been sold to
slaughterhouses.

Matton said the Carson City demonstration is intended to alert the
public to what the group believes are inaccurate statements by the four
politicians. She declined to specify what those statements were, saying
they would be part of a paper the group will pass out at the
demonstration.

"The public needs to know, they (officials) are always saying the
horses are starving to death, but on the whole these horses have adapted
well, even in drought conditions," Matton said. "We're doing this to get
information to the public."

Sweeney-Spratt amendment could end horse slaughtering

ARTICLE LINK
The Sweeney-Spratt amendment to the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Bill passed 269 to 158, and it may end horse slaughtering in DeKalb and Texas, therefore, nationwide.

The amendment means the USDA will not be funded to perform plant inspections for horse slaughtering. Yet, meat must be inspected by the USDA before it can be exported from the United States.

Therefore, it would not be possible for the Belgian company Cavel International to continue its operations, which provide horsemeat for human consumption to some countries—Italy, France, Belgium, Holland, Mexico and Japan—where horsemeat is considered a delicacy and can sell for about $15 lb...

In its recent newsletter, the Utah Humane Society urged its members to support the Sweeney-Pratt Amendment and argued, “Last year, almost 66,000 American horses were slaughtered in just one of the three foreign-owned, U.S.-based facilities located in Texas and Illinois.”

They noted the potential of the Sweeney-Pratt amendment and urged humane society members to contact their legislators to support HR 503.

A coalition of thousands of animal rights supporters has been working both nationally and in the Illinois legislature to shut down the industry.

...The Society for Animal Protective Legislation, based in Washington, D.C., reports that each year, thousands of horses are slaughtered in this country. In 2002, according to USDA records, 42,312 horses were killed for human consumption alone. Thousands more are shipped out of the country for slaughter elsewhere...[READ ENTIRE ARTICLE]

Wild Horse Bill Needs Work; Complete Ban Only Answer

The article below explains a little bit about the two wild horse bills that were just introduced. Please call your US Reps and Senators and ask them to oppose these bills!

H.R.2993
Title: To provide for the sale of excess wild free-roaming horses and
burros.
Sponsor: _Rep Porter, Jon C.http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/?&Db=d109&querybd=@FIELD(FLD003+@4((@1(Rep+Porter++Jon+C.))+01739)))
[NV-3]
(introduced 6/20/2005)
Cosponsors:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d109:1:./temp/~bdMt97:@@@P|/bss/d109query.html|)
(2)
Latest Major Action: 6/20/2005 Referred to House committee.
Status: Referred to the House Committee on Resources

S.1273
Title: A bill to provide for the sale and adoption of excess wild
free-roaming horses and burros.
Sponsor: Sen Reid, Harry http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/?&Db=d109&querybd=@FIELD(FLD003+@4((@1(Sen+Reid++Harry))+00952)))[NV]
(introduced 6/20/2005)
Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 6/20/2005 Referred to Senate committee.
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

*****************************

Humane Society says 'whoa' to Nevadans' wild horse bill

By Scott Sonner
ASSOCIATED PRESS

7:26 p.m. June 21, 2005

RENO, Nev.--Horse protection advocates said Tuesday that they'll oppose a proposal aimed at boosting adoptions of wild horses unless Congress also bans the slaughter of any horses in the U.S. Leaders of the Humane Society of the United States and other groups said they favor part of the proposal introduced by Nevada's entire congressional delegation Monday to impose a one-year waiting period on the transfer of ownership for wild horses sold through a relatively new sale program at the U.S.
Bureau of Land Management.

But they said other provisions in the bill would undermine protections for the mustangs unless the bill is accompanied by the slaughter ban, which has passed the House and is awaiting action in the Senate.

"We are very unhappy with this bill," said Nancy Perry, the society's vice president based in Washington, D.C. "The bill does four things and one thing is very good-- the one-year waiting period," she said.

"But the other three things would flood the pipeline with horses that ultimately will end up at slaughter houses," she said. [READ ENTIRE ARTICLE]

Illinois Horse Protection Coordinator Thanks Legislators; Makes Plea to Support HR 503

Blog editor's note: Illinois is home to one of the three horse slaughterhouses left in the U.S.

Thanks pols for first step in ending horse slaughter--Gail Vacca

Editor: An open letter to the Illinois congressional delegation:

I am so very proud of our Illinois delegation for many reasons, but I am particularly proud of them for their vote June 8 on the Sweeney Amendment to the
fiscal year 2006 Agricultural Appropri-ations bill that will prohibit federal funds from being used to slaughter horses.

Essentially, the Sweeney Amendment will stop our tax dollars from being used in any way toward the slaughter of horses, a practice that Illinoisans overwhelmingly oppose. Currently, our tax dollars are inexplicably being used to federally inspect horse meat that is not consumed in the United States and is in fact illegal to sell or consume in most states, including Illinois. Certainly our tax dollars can be put to far greater use overseeing and inspecting meat and goods that Americans consume.

Illinois' congressional delegates voted 14-3 in bipartisan favor of the amendment, with two members not voting. This was truly an outstanding show of support by these members on behalf of their respective constituencies, proving that our delegates are listening to the people of Illinois, and that we do indeed have a voice in Washington.

The horse slaughter issue is a very complex one, and the opponents of this much-needed protection for America's horses have deftly woven a complex web of lies and propaganda designed to confuse those who are not well versed on the facts and truths that surround this despicable trade.

It is for this reason that I am so very proud of our delegates. I commend the Illinois delegation for taking the time to understand the facts and truth of the issue, cutting through the propaganda, misinformation and outright lies, and for coming to the conclusion, as have most Americans, that the inhumane trade of horses for slaughter has no place in our country.

As a lifelong professional horse-owner, breeder and trainer of thoroughbred racehorses, and in my capacity as the Illinois coordinator for the National Horse Protection Coalition, on behalf of myself and the NHPC's more than 8 million members - who include the vast majority of Illinois' professional horse racing community, pleasure horse owners, humane organizations and just plain horse lovers - we sincerely thank our Illinois delegates for looking out for the best interest of the horse industry and for working to put an end to the inhumane treatment of our country's horses.

Finally, as I'm sure our delegates already understand, the Sweeney Amendment is only a short-term solution to ending horse slaughter. It is my hope that the Illinois delegation will continue to work toward enacting legislation that will permanently protect our horses from this needless suffering, by signing on as a co-sponsor to the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (HR 503).

Together we can stop this cruelty, once and for all.

Again, my deepest thanks to the Illinois congressional delegates who voted in favor of the Sweeney Amendment: Jesse Jackson Jr., Dan Lipinski, Luis Gutierrez, Rahm Emanuel, Henry Hyde, Danny Davis, Melissa Bean, Janice Schakowsky, Mark Kirk, Jerry Weller, Jerry Costello, Judy Biggert, Timothy Johnson and Lane Evans.

A list of national equine industry supporters (including those in Illinois) of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act can be found on the Web at www.horse-prote tion.org/info.php?id=37.

Gail Vacca
DeKalb
Illinois coordinator
National Horse Protection Coalition
www.horse-protection.org

Whitfield Becomes Hero for Horses

BONNIE ERBE: Riding to the rescue of horses

Scripps Howard News Service
Monday, June 20th, 2005 01:14 PM (PDT)


(SH) - Ours is an era of hero deprivation. From Paris Hilton, an over-bleached, over-exposed maven of materialism and a cultural icon, to politicos who manipulate intelligence to reach pre-selected conclusions, there are few principled, admirable figures among us.

I, however, recently met one. He's a man willing to take on moneyed interests. That's a rare commodity in Congress these days. He battles members of his own party. Among lockstep Republicans, that is an even rarer commodity. He is Kentucky Republican Edward Whitfield, and he's among the best friends equines and equestrians have in national politics today.

With Reps. John Spratt, D-S.C., John Sweeney, R-N.Y., and Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., Whitfield shepherded through the House an amendment to an agricultural bill that would prevent the horrifying slaughter of thousands of American horses each year. The amendment was approved with overwhelming support earlier this month, although its chances of making it through a House-Senate conference committee are between slim and nil.

It's hard to believe in this supposedly enlightened era that we still slaughter some 65,000 horses in the United States and ship many thousands more to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico each year. Three slaughter plants continue to operate in the United States - two in Texas and one in Illinois.

The American public overwhelmingly opposes horse slaughter. We see horses as pets, as companions, as athletes and as family, not as food. The American horses slaughtered here and abroad are shipped primarily to France and Belgium for human consumption. How vile.

Whitfield says the primary proponents of horse slaughter are cattlemen, the three remaining U.S. slaughterhouses, the American Equine Veterinarian Practitioners (or AEVP, a group of equine vets who do not represent the whole industry) and the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA.) The two latter groups claim to support horse slaughter as a human alternative to mistreatment of horses, but in reality view horses as moneymaking machines, both in life and in death.

The reasons these groups oppose efforts to ban slaughter vary. For the cattlemen, Whitfield says they fear that if horse slaughtering is banned, cattle slaughter will be next. They also, he says, receive $3 per horse slaughtered from the Texas slaughterhouses. For the slaughterhouses, the motivation is obvious. Horse slaughter is an approximate $300 million annual business. But that sum is tiny when compared with the more than $25 billion each year the American horse contributes to the gross domestic product.

The AEVP and the AQHA claim horse slaughter is more humane than the alternative. It's not funny, but it is laughable. They say many horses are starved and abused, and slaughter is a more humane alternative.

Do you call this "humane"? Horses are prodded into death chambers using electric shocks. They sweat in fear and wince in pain in their last moments. Bolts of metal are shot into their skulls by inexperienced, low-paid workers who frequently have to try two or three times before "stunning" the horses into shock, whereupon they slit the horses' throats and watch these creatures die in a puddle of their own blood.

But forget that horrific process for the moment. The AEVP and AQHA say that without slaughter, there would be an oversupply of horses subject to abuse or neglect. Their duplicity on this is more stunning than the "death bolt." Horse abuse and neglect actually goes down as rates of slaughter drop. It rises in tandem with higher rates of slaughter.

Just a few years ago, 300,000 horses were slaughtered in the United States.

Rates of abuse and neglect (and theft) were much higher. California banned horse slaughter in 1998 and has seen rates of abuse drop precipitously since. Slaughter breeds, not reduces, abuse, neglect and theft of horses.

Whitfield says since his amendment is likely to die in conference, the only sure way to protect America's horses is by passage of HR 503-a stand-alone ban. But the moneyed interests, and their friends in Congress (most notably Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont.) are building mountains of opposition.

It's time to teach the anti-heroes that this era of hero deprivation is about to end.

Pax's Story--Eyewitness to a Real Kill Pen

(editor's note: I am posting this story here with permission of the person who originally posted this on an anti-slaughter list. "M" tells this story so people know the truth about what the "kill pen" is like--a harrowing last stop before slaughter. Although I'm sure M wouldn't mind me using her name, I'm going to simply initials to represent her and the other people in the posting.)

"This is the account, as told to me by K., of how Pax was rescued from slaughter, or death by disease and malnourishment from spending 3 weeks in a kill-pen:

K's friend wanted to rescue a Belgian draft horse from N.'s slaughter pens in Unidilla NY. These are pens that temporarily confine horses who are slated to be hauled to Quebec, Canada where they will be slaughtered for meat. K. agreed to accompany her friend for she has MS and cannot drive. They made the 150 mile one-way journey to buy the Belgian from N. who will sell his horses if anyone will offer him a figure higher than what he paid for them at auction. While in the pens, K. was followed by a little mare who continually nickered at her as if asking for help.

In the meantime, K. was also drawn to Pax who appeared so sickly and weak. He was covered with sores from bites perpetrated on him from the other frantic and frightened horses. There is so little food given them; just enough to keep them alive until they are shipped to slaughter. Since Pax is an omega, he bore his bites and backed off, not willing to participate in the contest for food. Meanwhile, these horses have only muddy water to drink and are standing in mud up to their knees and beyond. K. said the mud is littered with cast off horse shoes, wire, huge chunks of iron and all manner of refuse.

K. walked over to Pax and observed exudate coming from his nostrils and considerable amounts of water came from his mouth when he coughed. She deduced he might have "strangles." She and her friend purchased the Belgian and mare from B.N.
and hauled them home on a Friday. K. named the mare Grace after "Amazing Grace." For three nights, K. could not sleep thinking about Pax.

On Monday, she asked her friend if she would accompany her to the slaughter pen to get Pax. They made the trip again only to discover they could not find him because about 70 more horses had been admitted to the kill-pen. One that stood out the most, according to K., was a Thoroughbred race horse who was in extreme panic and bewilderment having been pampered in off-track stables. Now he was standing in muddy debris with no food and only muddy water. K. said other horses had broken legs and eyes dangling from their sockets (probably injured during shipping). God have mercy! K. said she could not find Pax in this sea of horses. After a length of time, her friend found Pax remembering he was wearing a red nylon halter. They loaded him in their trailer and went to find N. to pay him for Pax.

N. came out to see Pax loaded in their trailer and said he would not pay a dime for this sick and skinny horse. HE THOUGHT THEY WERE THERE TO SELL PAX TO HIM!!! So, off they went with Pax....such a deal! On the way back to K.'s home, her friend called their vet to have Pax humanely euthanized since the clinic was located on their route back home. K. had second thoughts on the way home and said to her friend that first (before euthanizing him), she would like to give him a chance to live. K. gave him bran mash, good sweet feed, all the hay he could eat, and had her equine vet treat him on several occasions.

In time, Pax gained weight, his bites healed, he no longer coughed water or had nostril discharge. He bounced back to a healthy horse.

Pax was driven very hard by the Amish during his young life. K. said he was known as a "boy's horse".....that Pax had lots of "snap." She also learned that Pax, alone, pulled a STEEL wagon loaded with all the members of an Amish family - and, of course, on pavement. Pax's mouth was sorely abused by an unsuitable bit...he is poorly shod by two homemade Amish shoes on his front feet - the rear shoes have been lost. My farrier will be pulling his shoes and accessing Pax's present needs for proper shoes or preferably letting him go barefoot.

Despite Pax's hard 8 years, he does not kick or bite. He even let K.'s goat steal his feed (she has corrected that). He has excellent ground manners, but may now feel threatened at the sight of a harness. All in good time...he needs to learn there are humans who love him. This will be his last stop.

Addendum:

Now I think due to discovering Pax's neck freeze brand tattoo, that he was an unqualified trotter harness horse. He was either auctioned off due to lack of speed or due to his windgalls. I think he was auctioned off due to lack of speed for the Amish would not have bought an unsound horse. I think they purchased him at a STBD auction and he developed windgalls from their hard use of him, then sent him onto auction. Pax has no doubt been in several auction pens...the last being the worst.

Thank God for K. who knew a sweetheart when she saw one. If only he could talk to me...but I am not really sure I want to hear his story...he has endured so much rejection and still he comes to me with a nicker."

--M

Co-sponsors Needed for HR 503!

Please check the current listing of co-sponsors for your state before asking your delegates to co-sponsor. They may already be signed on as a co-sponsor, and if so, we obviously would not need to ask them to do something they have already done!

Click below to view a list of the current House co-sponsors of HR 503

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR00503:@@@P

This project is our priority for the coming weeks! This is vital to passing HR 503!

Your action is needed!!!
Please call and/or fax each of the congressional delegates from your state who voted "YES" on the Sweeney amendment last week to #1) Thank them for voting in favor of the amendment, and #2) Request that he/she CO-SPONSOR H.R. 503.

Please remind the delegates from your state that the Sweeney amendment will only protect horses from the cruelties of horse slaughter for a 1 year period, and that in order to permanently protect our horses from this horrible suffering, passing HR 503 is essential.

Reminder: In this campaign, we are only contacting those who voted "YES" on the Sweeney amendment.

A list of how they voted on the Sweeny amendment along with their contact information is provided below my signature.

Please crosspost this request far and wide!!!

Thank you again for your continued support and efforts on behalf of the horses!!


Gail Vacca
Illinois Coordinator
National Horse Protection Coalition
Phone: 815-761-4937
Fax: 815-787-4957
http://www.horse-protection.org/


VOTE RESULTS ON THE SWEEENY-SPRATT AMENDMENT BY STATE

ALABAMA Ayes: 5 | Noes: 2

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Jo Bonner (R - 01) NO 202-225-4931 202-225-0562
Rep. Terry Everett (R - 02) YES 202-225-2901 202-225-8913
Rep. Mike Rogers (R - 03) NO 202-225-3261 202-226-8485
Rep. Robert Aderholt (R - 04) YES 202-225-4876 202-225-5587
Rep. Robert Cramer (D - 05) YES 202-225-4801 202-225-4392
Rep. Spencer Bachus (R - 06) YES 202-225-4921 202-225-2082
Rep. Artur Davis (D - 07) YES 202-225-2665 202-226-9567

ALASKA Noes: 1

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Don Young (R) NO 202-225-5765 202-225-0425

AMERICAN SAMOA

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Eni F. H. Faleomavaega (D) - 202-225-8577 202-225-8757

ARIZONA Ayes: 3 | Noes: 5

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Rick Renzi (R - 01) YES 202-225-2315 202-226-9739
Rep. Trent Franks (R - 02) NO 202-225-4576 202-225-6328
Rep. John B. Shadegg (R - 03) NO 202-225-3361 202-225-3462
Rep. Ed Pastor (D – 04) NO 202-225-4065 202-225-1655
Rep. J. D. Hayworth (R - 05) YES 202-225-2190 202-225-3263
Rep. Jeff Flake (R – 06) NO 202-225-2635 202-226-4386
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D - 07) YES 202-225-2435 202-225-1541
Rep. Jim Kolbe (R – 08) NO 202-225-2542 202-225-0378

ARKANSAS Noes: 4

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Marion Berry (D - 01) NO 202-225-4076 202-225-5602
Rep. Vic Snyder (D - 02) NO 202-225-2506 202-225-5903
Rep. John Boozman (R - 03) NO 202-225-4301 202-225-5713
Rep. Michael A. Ross (D - 04) NO 202-225-3772 202-225-1314

CALIFORNIA Ayes: 38 | Noes: 14 | Not voting: 1

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Mike Thompson (D - 01) YES 202-225-3311 202-225-4335
Rep. Wally Herger (R - 02) NO 202-225-3076 202-226-0852
Rep. Dan Lungren (R - 03) YES 202-225-5716 202-226-1298
Rep. John T. Doolittle (R - 04) NO 202-225-2511 202-225-5444
Rep. Doris Matsui (D - 05) YES 202-225-7163 202-225-0566
Rep. Lynn C. Woolsey (D - 06) YES 202-225-5161 202-225-5163
Rep. George Miller (D - 07) YES 202-225-2095 202-225-5609
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D - 08) YES 202-225-4965 202-225-8259
Rep. Barbara Lee (D - 09) YES 202-225-2661 202-225-9817
Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D - 10) YES 202-225-1880 202-225-5914
Rep. Richard W. Pombo (R - 11) NO 202-225-1947 202-226-0861
Rep. Tom Lantos (D – 12) YES 202-225-3531 None
Rep. Fortney Stark (D - 13) YES 202-225-5065 202-226-3805
Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D - 14) YES 202-225-8104 202-225-8890
Rep. Mike Honda (D - 15) NO 202-225-2631 202-225-2699
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D - 16) YES 202-225-3072 202-225-3336
Rep. Sam Farr (D – 17) YES 202-225-2861 202-225-6791
Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D - 18) NO 202-225-6131 202-225-0819
Rep. George P. Radanovich (R - 19) NO 202-225-4540 202-225-3402
Rep. Jim Costa (D – 20) NO 202-225-3341
202-225-9308
Rep. Devin Nunes (R - 21) NO 202-225-2523 202-225-3404
Rep. William M. Thomas (R - 22) NO 202-225-2915 202-225-8798
Rep. Lois Capps (D – 23) YES 202-225-3601 202-225-5632
Rep. Elton Gallegly (R - 24) YES 202-225-5811 202-225-1100
Rep. Howard McKeon (R - 25) NO 202-225-1956 202-226-0683
Rep. David Dreier (R - 26) YES 202-225-2305 202-225-7018
Rep. Brad Sherman (D - 27) YES 202-225-5911 202-225-5879
Rep. Howard L. Berman (D - 28) YES 202-225-4695
202-225-3196
Rep. Adam Schiff (D - 29) YES 202-225-4176 202-225-5828
Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D - 30) YES 202-225-3976 202-225-4099
Rep. Xavier Becerra (D - 31) YES 202-225-6235 202-225-2202
Rep. Hilda L. Solis (D - 32) YES 202-225-5464 202-225-5467
Rep. Diane E. Watson (D - 33) YES 202-225-7084 202-225-2422
Lucille Roybal-Allard (D - 34) YES 202-225-1766 202-226-0350
Rep. Maxine Waters (D - 35) YES 202-225-2201 202-225-7854
Rep. Jane Harman (D - 36) YES 202-225-8220 202-226-7290
Juanita Millender-McDonald (D - 37) YES 202-225-7924
202-225-7926
Rep. Grace Napolitano (D - 38) YES 202-225-5256 202-225-0027
Rep. Linda T. Sanchez (D - 39) YES 202-225-6676 202-226-1012
Rep. Edward R. Royce (R - 40) NO 202-225-4111 202-226-0335
Rep. Jerry Lewis (R - 41) NO 202-225-5861 202-225-6498
Rep. Gary Miller (R - 42) YES 202-225-3201 202-226-6962
Rep. Joe Baca (D - 43) YES 202-225-6161 202-225-8671
Rep. Ken Calvert (R - 44) NO 202-225-1986 202-225-2004
Rep. Mary Bono (R - 45) YES 202-225-5330 202-225-2961
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R - 46) NO 202-225-2415 202-225-0145
Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D - 47) YES 202-225-2965 202-225-5859
Rep. Christopher Cox (R - 48) N/V 202-225-5611 202-225-9177
Rep. Darrell Issa (R - 49) YES 202-225-3906 202-225-3303
Rep. Randy Cunningham (R - 50) YES 202-225-5452 202-225-2558
Rep. Bob Filner (D - 51) YES 202-225-8045 202-225-9073
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R - 52) YES 202-225-5672 202-225-0235
Rep. Susan A. Davis (D - 53) YES 202-225-2040 202-225-2948

COLORADO Ayes: 3 | Noes: 4

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Diana DeGette (D - 01) YES 202-225-4431 202-225-5657
Rep. Mark Udall (D – 02) YES 202-225-2161 202-226-7840
Rep. John Salazar (D – 03) NO 202-225-4761 202-226-9669
Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R - 04) NO 202-225-4676 202-225-5870
Rep. Joel Hefley (R – 05) NO 202-225-4422 202-225-1942
Rep. Tom Tancredo (R - 06) YES 202-225-7882 202-226-4623
Rep. Bob Beauprez (R - 07) NO 202-225-2645 202-225-5278

CONNECTICUT Ayes: 5

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. John Larson (D - 01) YES 202-225-2265 202-225-1031
Rep. Robert Simmons (R - 02) YES 202-225-2076 202-225-4977
Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (D - 03) YES 202-225-3661 202-225-4890
Christopher Shays (R - 04) YES 202-225-5541 202-225-9629
Rep. Nancy L. Johnson (R - 05) YES 202-225-4476 202-225-4488

DELAWARE Ayes: 1

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Michael N. Castle (R) YES 202-225-4165 202-225-2291

DC

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) - 202-225-8050
202-225-3002


FLORIDA Ayes: 16 | Noes: 8 | Not voting: 1

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Jeff Miller (R - 01) NO 202-225-4136 202-225-3414
Rep. Allen Boyd (D - 02) NO 202-225-5235 202-225-5615
Rep. Corrine Brown (D - 03) YES 202-225-0123 202-225-2256
Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R - 04) NO 202-225-2501 202-225-2504
Ginny Brown-Waite (R - 05) YES 202-225-1002 202-226-6559
Rep. Cliff Stearns (R – 06) NO 202-225-5744 202-225-3973
Rep. John L. Mica (R – 07) YES 202-225-4035 202-226-0821
Rep. Ric Keller (R - 08) YES 202-225-2176 202-225-0999
Michael Bilirakis (R - 09) YES 202-225-5755 202-225-4085
Rep. C. W. Young (R - 10) YES 202-225-5961 202-225-9764
Rep. Jim Davis (D - 11) YES 202-225-3376 202-225-5652
Rep. Adam Putnam (R - 12) NO 202-225-1252 202-226-0585
Rep. Katherine Harris (R - 13) YES 202-225-5015 202-226-0828
Rep. Connie Mack (R – 14) NO 202-225-2536 202-226-0439
Rep. Dave Weldon (R - 15) NO 202-225-3671 202-225-3516
Rep. Mark Foley (R - 16) YES 202-225-5792 202-225-3133
Rep. Kendrick B. Meek (D - 17) YES 202-225-4506 202-226-0777
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R - 18) YES 202-225-3931 202-225-5620
Rep. Robert Wexler (D - 19) YES 202-225-3001 202-225-5974
Deb Wasserman Schultz (D - 20) YES 202-225-7931 202-226-2052
Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R - 21) YES 202-225-4211 202-225-8576
Rep. E. Clay Shaw (R - 22) YES 202-225-3026 202-225-8398
Rep. Alcee Hastings (D - 23) N/V 202-225-1313 202-225-1171
Rep. Tom Feeney (R - 24) NO 202-225-2706 202-226-6299
Mario Diaz-Balart (R - 25) YES 202-225-2778 202-226-0346

GEORGIA Ayes: 4 | Noes: 9

Member Name Votes DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Jack Kingston (R - 01) NO 202-225-5831 202-226-2269
Rep. Sanford Bishop (D - 02) YES 202-225-3631 202-225-2203
Rep. Jim Marshall (D - 03) NO 202-225-6531 202-225-3013
Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D – 04) NO 202-225-1605
202-226-0691
Rep. John Lewis (D - 05) YES 202-225-3801 202-225-0351
Rep. Tom Price (R – 06) NO 202-225-4501 202-225-4656
Rep. John Linder (R - 07) YES 202-225-4272 202-225-4696
Lynn Westmoreland (R – 08) NO 202-225-5901 202-225-2515
Rep. Charlie Norwood (R - 09) NO 202-225-4101 202-226-0776
Rep. Nathan Deal (R - 10) NO 202-225-5211 202-225-8272
Rep. Phil Gingrey (R - 11) NO 202-225-2931 202-225-2944
Rep. John Barrow (D - 12 ) YES 202-225-2823 202-225-3377
Rep. David Scott (D - 13) NO 202-225-2939 202-225-4628

GUAM

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Del. Madeleine Bordallo (D) - 202-225-1188 202-226-0341


HAWAII Ayes: 2

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D - 01) YES 202-225-2726 202-225-4580
Rep. Ed Case (D - 02) YES 202-225-4906 202-225-4987

IDAHO Noes: 2

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. C. L. Otter (R - 01) NO 202-225-6611 202-225-3029
Rep. Mike Simpson (R - 02) NO 202-225-5531 202-225-8216

ILLINOIS Ayes: 14 | Noes: 3 | Not voting: 2

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D - 01) N/V 202-225-4372 202-226-0333
Rep. Jesse L. Jackson (D - 02) YES 202-225-0773
202-225-0899
Rep. Dan Lipinski (D - 03) YES 202-225-5701 202-225-1012
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D - 04) YES 202-225-8203 202-225-7810
Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D - 05) YES 202-225-4061 202-225-5603
Rep. Henry J. Hyde (R - 06) YES 202-225-4561 202-225-1166
Rep. Danny Davis (D - 07) YES 202-225-5006 202-225-5641
Rep. Melissa Bean (D - 08) YES 202-225-3711 202-225-7830
Janice Schakowsky (D - 09) YES 202-225-2111 202-226-6890
Rep. Mark S. Kirk (R - 10) YES 202-225-4835 202-225-0837
Rep. Gerald C. Weller (R - 11) YES 202-225-3635
202-225-3521
Rep. Jerry Costello (D - 12) YES 202-225-5661 202-225-0285
Rep. Judy Biggert (R - 13) YES 202-225-3515 202-225-9420
Rep. Dennis Hastert (R - 14) N/V 202-225-2976 202-225-0697
Rep. Timothy Johnson (R - 15) YES 202-225-2371 202-226-0791
Rep. Donald Manzullo (R - 16) NO 202-225-5676 202-225-5284
Rep. Lane Evans (D - 17) YES 202-225-5905 202-225-5396
Rep. Ray LaHood (R - 18) NO 202-225-6201 202-225-9249
Rep. John Shimkus (R - 19) NO 202-225-5271 202-225-5880

INDIANA Ayes: 4 | Noes: 5

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Peter Visclosky (D - 01) YES 202-225-2461 202-225-2493
Rep. Chris Chocola (R - 02) NO 202-225-3915 202-225-6798
Mark Edward Souder (R - 03) NO 202-225-4436 202-225-3479
Rep. Stephen E. Buyer (R - 04) NO 202-225-5037 202-225-2267
Rep. Dan Burton (R - 05) YES 202-225-2276 202-225-0016
Rep. Mike Pence (R - 06) YES 202-225-3021 202-225-3382
Rep. Julia Carson (D - 07) NO 202-225-4011 202-225-5633
Rep. John Hostettler (R - 08) YES 202-225-4636 202-225-3284
Rep. Mike Sodrel (R - 09) NO 202-225-5315 202-226-6866

IOWA Noes: 5

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Jim Nussle (R - 01) NO 202-225-2911 202-225-9129
Rep. James A. Leach (R - 02) NO 202-225-6576 202-226-1278
Rep. Leonard Boswell (D - 03) NO 202-225-3806 202-225-5608
Rep. Tom Latham (R - 04) NO 202-225-5476 202-225-3301
Rep. Steve King (R - 05) NO 202-225-4426 202-225-3193

KANSAS Ayes: 2 | Noes: 2

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Jerry Moran (R - 01) NO 202-225-2715 202-225-5124
Rep. Jim Ryun (R - 02) NO 202-225-6601 202-225-7986
Rep. Dennis Moore (D - 03) YES 202-225-2865 202-225-2807
Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R - 04) YES 202-225-6216 202-225-3489

KENTUCKY Ayes: 5 | Noes: 1

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Edward Whitfield (R - 01) YES 202-225-3115 202-225-3547
Rep. Ron Lewis (R - 02) YES 202-225-3501 202-226-2019
Rep. Anne M. Northup (R - 03) NO 202-225-5401 202-225-5776
Rep. Geoff Davis (R - 04) YES 202-225-3465 202-225-0003
Rep. Harold Rogers (R - 05) YES 202-225-4601 202-225-0940
Rep. Ben Chandler (D - 06) YES 202-225-4706 202-225-2122

LOUISIANA Ayes: 2 | Noes: 5

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Bobby Jindal (R - 01) YES 202-225-3015 202-226-0386
Rep. William Jefferson (D - 02) YES 202-225-6636 202-225-1988
Rep. Charlie Melancon (D - 03) NO 202-225-4031 202-226-3944
Rep. Jim McCrery (R - 04) NO 202-225-2777 202-225-8039
Rep.Rodney Alexander (R - 05) NO 202-225-8490 202-225-5639
Rep.Richard H. Baker (R - 06) NO 202-225-3901 202-225-7313
Rep. Charles Boustany (R - 07) NO 202-225-2031 202-225-5724

MAINE Ayes: 2

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Thomas H. Allen (D - 01) YES 202-225-6116 202-225-5590
Rep. Mike Michaud (D - 02) YES 202-225-6306 202-225-2943

MARYLAND Ayes: 8

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R - 01) YES 202-225-5311 202-225-0254
C. A. Ruppersberger (D - 02) YES 202-225-3061 202-225-3094
Rep. Benjamin Cardin (D - 03) YES 202-225-4016 202-225-9219
Rep. Albert Wynn (D - 04) YES 202-225-8699 202-225-8714
Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D - 05) YES 202-225-4131 202-225-4300
Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R - 06) YES 202-225-2721 202-225-2193
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D - 07) YES 202-225-4741 202-225-3178
Christopher Van Hollen (D - 08) YES 202-225-5341 202-225-0375

MASSACHUSETTS Ayes: 10

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. John W. Olver (D - 01) YES 202-225-5335 202-226-1224
Rep. Richard E. Neal (D - 02) YES 202-225-5601 202-225-8112
Rep. James McGovern (D - 03) YES 202-225-6101 202-225-5759
Rep. Barney Frank (D - 04) YES 202-225-5931 202-225-0182
Rep. Martin T. Meehan (D - 05) YES 202-225-3411
202-226-0771
Rep. John Tierney (D - 06) YES 202-225-8020 202-225-5915
Rep. Edward J. Markey (D - 07) YES 202-225-2836 202-226-0092
Rep. Michael Capuano (D - 08) YES 202-225-5111 202-225-9322
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D - 09) YES 202-225-8273 202-225-3984
Rep. William Delahunt (D - 10) YES 202-225-3111
202-225-5658

MICHIGAN Ayes: 10 | Noes: 5

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Bart Stupak (D – 01) YES 202-225-4735 202-225-4744
Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R - 02) NO 202-225-4401 202-226-0779
Rep. Vernon J. Ehlers (R - 03) YES 202-225-3831
202-225-5144
Rep. Dave Camp (R - 04) NO 202-225-3561 202-225-9679
Rep. Dale E. Kildee (D - 05) YES 202-225-3611 202-225-6393
Rep. Fred Upton (R – 06) YES 202-225-3761 202-225-4986
Rep. Joe Schwarz (R - 07) YES 202-225-6276 202-225-6281
Rep. Michael Rogers (R - 08) YES 202-225-4872 202-225-5820
Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R - 09) NO 202-225-5802 202-226-2356
Rep. Candice Miller (R - 10) NO 202-225-2106 202-226-1169
Thaddeus McCotter (R - 11) YES 202-225-8171 202-225-2667
Rep. Sander M. Levin (D - 12) YES 202-225-4961 202-226-1033
Carolyn Kilpatrick (D - 13) YES 202-225-2261 202-225-5730
Rep. John Conyers (D - 14) YES 202-225-5126 202-225-0072
Rep. John D. Dingell (D - 15) NO 202-225-4071 202-226-0371

MINNESOTA Ayes: 6 | Noes: 2

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Gil Gutknecht (R - 01) YES 202-225-2472 202-225-3246
Rep. John Kline (R - 02) YES 202-225-2271 202-225-2595
Rep. Jim Ramstad (R - 03) YES 202-225-2871 202-225-6351
Rep. Betty McCollum (D - 04) YES 202-225-6631 202-225-1968
Rep. Martin Olav Sabo (D - 05) YES 202-225-4755 202-225-4886
Rep. Mark Kennedy (R - 06) YES 202-225-2331 202-225-6475
Rep. Collin Peterson (D - 07) NO 202-225-2165 202-225-1593
Rep. James Oberstar (D - 08) NO 202-225-6211 202-225-0699

MISSISSIPPI Ayes: 3 | Noes: 1

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Roger F. Wicker (R - 01) NO 202-225-4306 202-225-3549
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D - 02) YES 202-225-5876 202-225-5898
Rep. Charles Pickering (R - 03) YES 202-225-5031 202-225-5797
Rep. Gene Taylor (D - 04) YES 202-225-5772 202-225-7074

MISSOURI Ayes: 3 | Noes: 6

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. William Clay (D - 01) YES 202-225-2406 202-225-1725
Rep. Todd Akin (R - 02) NO 202-225-2561 202-225-2563
Rep. Russ Carnahan (D - 03) YES 202-225-2671 202-225-7452
Rep. Ike Skelton (D - 04) NO 202-225-2876 202-225-2695
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D - 05) YES 202-225-4535 202-225-4403
Rep. Samuel B. Graves (R - 06) NO 202-225-7041 202-225-8221
Rep. Roy Blunt (R - 07) NO 202-225-6536 202-226-1115
Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R - 08) NO 202-225-4404 202-226-0326
Rep. Kenny C. Hulshof (R - 09) NO 202-225-2956 202-225-5712


MONTANA Noes: 1

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Dennis Rehberg (R) NO 202-225-3211 202-225-5687


NEBRASKA Noes: 3

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R - 01) NO 202-225-4806 202-225-5686
Rep. Lee Terry (R - 02) NO 202-225-4155 202-226-5452
Rep. Thomas W. Osborne (R - 03) NO 202-225-6435 202-226-1385

NEVADA Ayes: 3

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Shelley Berkley (D - 01) YES 202-225-5965 202-225-3119
Rep. Jim Gibbons (R - 02) YES 202-225-6155 202-225-5679
Rep. Jon Porter (R - 03) YES 202-225-3252 202-225-2185


NEW HAMPSHIRE Ayes: 2

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Jeb Bradley (R - 01) YES 202-225-5456 202-225-5822
Rep. Charles Bass(R - 02) YES 202-225-5206 202-225-2946

NEW JERSEY Ayes: 11 | Noes: 1 | Not voting: 1

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Robert Andrews (D - 01) YES 202-225-6501 202-225-6583
Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R - 02) YES 202-225-6572 202-225-3318
Rep. Jim Saxton (R - 03) YES 202-225-4765 202-225-0778
Christopher Smith (R - 04) YES 202-225-3765 202-225-7768
Rep. E. Scott Garrett (R - 05) NO 202-225-4465 202-225-9048
Rep. Frank Pallone (D - 06) YES 202-225-4671 202-225-9665
Rep. Michael Ferguson (R - 07) YES 202-225-5361 202-225-9460
Rep. Bill Pascrell (D - 08) YES 202-225-5751 202-225-5782
Rep. Steven Rothman (D - 09) YES 202-225-5061 202-225-5851
Rep. Donald M. Payne (D - 10) YES 202-225-3436 202-225-4160
Rodney Frelinghuysen (R - 11) YES 202-225-5034 202-225-3186
Rep. Rush Holt (D - 12) YES 202-225-5801 202-225-6025
Rep. Robert Menendez (D - 13) N/V 202-225-7919 202-226-0792

NEW MEXICO Ayes: 1 | Noes: 2

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Heather Wilson (R - 01) NO 202-225-6316 202-225-4975
Rep. Steve Pearce (R - 02) NO 202-225-2365 202-225-9599
Rep. Thomas Udall (D - 03) YES 202-225-6190 202-226-1331

NEW YORK Ayes: 24 | Noes: 4 | Not voting: 1

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Timothy Bishop (D - 01) YES 202-225-3826 202-225-3143
Rep. Steve J. Israel (D - 02) YES 202-225-3335 202-225-4669
Rep. Peter T. King (R - 03) YES 202-225-7896 202-226-2279
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D - 04) YES 202-225-5516 202-225-5758
Rep. Gary L. Ackerman (D - 05) YES 202-225-2601
202-225-1589
Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (D - 06) YES 202-225-3461 202-226-4169
Rep. Joseph Crowley (D - 07) YES 202-225-3965 202-225-1909
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D - 08) YES 202-225-5635 202-225-6923
Rep. Anthony Weiner (D - 09) YES 202-225-6616 202-226-7253
Rep. Edolphus Towns (D - 10) YES 202-225-5936 202-225-1018
Rep. Major R. Owens (D - 11) YES 202-225-6231 202-226-0112
Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D - 12) YES 202-225-2361 202-226-0327
Rep. Vito Fossella (R - 13) YES 202-225-3371 202-226-1272
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D - 14) YES 202-225-7944 202-225-4709
Rep. Charles Rangel (D - 15) NO 202-225-4365 202-225-0816
Rep. Jose E. Serrano (D - 16) YES 202-225-4361 202-225-6001
Rep. Eliot L. Engel (D - 17) YES 202-225-2464 202-225-5513
Rep. Nita M. Lowey (D - 18) YES 202-225-6506 202-225-0546
Rep. Sue W. Kelly (R - 19) YES 202-225-5441 202-225-3289
Rep. John E. Sweeney (R - 20) YES 202-225-5614 202-225-6234
Rep. Michael McNulty (D - 21) YES 202-225-5076 202-225-5077
Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D - 22) YES 202-225-6335 202-226-0774
Rep. John M. McHugh (R - 23) NO 202-225-4611 202-226-0621
Sherwood Boehlert (R - 24) YES 202-225-3665 202-225-1891
Rep. James T. Walsh (R - 25) NO 202-225-3701 202-225-4042
Rep. Thomas Reynolds (R - 26) NO 202-225-5265 202-225-5910
Rep. Brian Higgins (D - 27) YES 202-225-3306 202-226-0347
Rep. Louise Slaughter (D - 28) N/V 202-225-3615 202-225-7822
Rep. Randy Kuhl (R - 29) YES 202-225-3161 202-226-6599

NORTH CAROLINA Ayes: 7 | Noes: 6

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
G. K. Butterfield (D - 01) YES 202-225-3101 202-225-3354
Rep. Bobby Etheridge (D - 02) YES 202-225-4531 202-225-5662
Rep. Walter B. Jones (R - 03) YES 202-225-3415 202-225-3286
Rep. David E. Price (D - 04) YES 202-225-1784 202-225-2014
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R - 05) NO 202-225-2071 202-225-2995
Rep. Howard Coble (R - 06) NO 202-225-3065 202-225-8611
Rep. Mike McIntyre (D - 07) YES 202-225-2731 202-225-5773
Rep. Robert Hayes (R - 08) NO 202-225-3715 202-225-4036
Rep. Sue Myrick (R - 09) YES 202-225-1976 202-225-3389
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R - 10) NO 202-225-2576 202-225-0316
Rep. Charles Taylor (R - 11) NO 202-225-6401 202-226-6422
Rep. Melvin L. Watt (D - 12) NO 202-225-1510 202-225-1512
Rep. Brad Miller (D - 13) YES 202-225-3032 202-225-0181

NORTH DAKOTA Noes: 1

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D) NO 202-225-2611 202-226-0893

OHIO Ayes: 11 | Noes: 6

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Steve Chabot (R - 01) YES 202-225-2216 202-225-3012
Vacant (02) - 202-225-3164 202-225-1992
Rep. Mike Turner (R - 03) YES 202-225-6465 202-225-6754
Rep. Michael G. Oxley (R - 04) NO 202-225-2676 202-226-0577
Rep. Paul E. Gillmor (R - 05) NO 202-225-6405 202-225-1985
Rep. Ted Strickland (D - 06) YES 202-225-5705 202-225-5907
Rep. David L. Hobson (R - 07) NO 202-225-4324 202-225-1984
Rep. John A. Boehner (R - 08) NO 202-225-6205 202-225-0704
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D - 09) YES 202-225-4146 202-225-7711
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D - 10) YES 202-225-5871 202-225-5745
Rep. Stephanie Jones (D - 11) YES 202-225-7032 202-225-1339
Rep. Patrick Tiberi (R - 12) NO 202-225-5355 202-226-4523
Rep. Sherrod Brown (D - 13) YES 202-225-3401 202-225-2266
Rep. Steve LaTourette (R - 14) YES 202-225-5731 202-225-3307
Rep. Deborah Pryce (R - 15) YES 202-225-2015 202-225-3529
Rep. Ralph Regula (R - 16) NO 202-225-3876 202-225-3059
Rep. Tim Ryan (D - 17) YES 202-225-5261 202-225-3719
Rep. Bob Ney (R - 18) YES 202-225-6265 202-225-3394

OKLAHOMA Noes: 5

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. John Sullivan (R - 01) NO 202-225-2211 202-225-9187
Rep. Dan Boren (D - 02) NO 202-225-2701 202-225-3038
Rep. Frank D. Lucas (R - 03) NO 202-225-5565 202-225-8698
Rep. Tom Cole (R - 04) NO 202-225-6165 202-225-3512
Rep. Ernest Istook(R - 05) NO 202-225-2132 202-226-1463

OREGON Ayes: 4 | Noes: 1

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. David Wu (D - 01) YES 202-225-0855
202-225-9497
Rep. Greg Walden (R - 02) NO 202-225-6730 202-225-5774
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D - 03) YES 202-225-4811 202-225-8941
Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D - 04) YES 202-225-6416 202-225-0032
Rep. Darlene Hooley (D - 05) YES 202-225-5711 202-225-5699

PENNSYLVANIA Ayes: 14 | Noes: 5

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Robert A. Brady (D - 01) YES 202-225-4731 202-225-0088
Rep. Chaka Fattah (D - 02) YES 202-225-4001 202-225-5392
Rep. Phil English (R - 03) YES 202-225-5406 202-225-3103
Rep. Melissa A. Hart (R - 04) NO 202-225-2565 202-226-2274
Rep. John E. Peterson (R - 05) NO 202-225-5121 202-225-5796
Rep. Jim Gerlach (R - 06) YES 202-225-4315 202-225-8440
Rep. Curt Weldon (R - 07) YES 202-225-2011 202-225-8137
Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R - 08) YES 202-225-4276 202-225-9511
Rep. Bill Shuster (R - 09) NO 202-225-2431 202-225-2486
Rep. Donald Sherwood (R - 10) NO 202-225-3731 202-225-9594
Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D - 11) YES 202-225-6511 202-225-0764
Rep. John P. Murtha (D - 12) YES 202-225-2065 202-225-5709
Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D - 13) YES 202-225-6111
202-226-0611
Rep. Michael F. Doyle (D - 14) YES 202-225-2135 202-225-3084
Rep. Charles Dent (R - 15) YES 202-225-6411 202-226-0778
Rep. Joseph R. Pitts (R - 16) YES 202-225-2411 202-225-2013
Rep. Tim Holden (D - 17) YES 202-225-5546 202-226-0996
Rep. Tim Murphy (R - 18) NO 202-225-2301 202-225-1844
Rep. Todd R. Platts (R - 19) YES 202-225-5836 202-226-1000

PUERTO RICO

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Luis Fortuño (R) - 202-225-2615 202-225-2154

RHODE ISLAND Ayes: 2

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D - 01) YES 202-225-4911 202-225-3290
Rep. James Langevin (D - 02) YES 202-225-2735 202-225-5976

SOUTH CAROLINA Ayes: 5 | Noes: 1

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Henry E. Brown (R - 01) YES 202-225-3176 202-225-3407
Rep. Joe Wilson (R – 02) YES 202-225-2452 202-225-2455
Rep. Gresham Barrett (R - 03) NO 202-225-5301 202-225-3216
Rep. Bob Inglis (R - 04) YES 202-225-6030 202-226-1177
Rep. John M. Spratt (D - 05) YES 202-225-5501 202-225-0464
Rep. James E. Clyburn (D - 06) YES 202-225-3315
202-225-2313

SOUTH DAKOTA Ayes: 1

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Stephanie Herseth (D) YES 202-225-2801 202-225-5823

TENNESSEE Ayes: 4 | Noes: 5

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. William Jenkins (R - 01) NO 202-225-6356 202-225-5714
Rep. John J. Duncan (R - 02) NO 202-225-5435 202-225-6440
Rep. Zach Wamp (R - 03) YES 202-225-3271 202-225-3494
Rep. Lincoln Davis (D - 04) NO 202-225-6831 202-226-5172
Rep. Jim Cooper (D - 05) NO 202-225-4311 202-226-1035
Rep. Bart Gordon (D - 06) YES 202-225-4231 202-225-6887
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R - 07) NO 202-225-2811 202-225-3004
Rep. John S. Tanner (D - 08) YES 202-225-4714 202-225-1765
Rep. Harold E. Ford (D - 09) YES 202-225-3265 202-225-5663

TEXAS Ayes: 12 | Noes: 19 | Not voting: 1

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R - 01) YES 202-225-3035 202-225-5866
Rep. Ted Poe (R - 02) YES 202-225-6565 202-225-5547
Rep. Sam Johnson (R - 03) NO 202-225-4201 202-225-1485
Rep. Ralph M. Hall (R - 04) YES 202-225-6673 202-225-3332
Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R - 05) NO 202-225-3484 202-226-4888
Rep. Joe Barton (R - 06) NO 202-225-2002 202-225-3052
Rep. John Culberson (R - 07) NO 202-225-2571 202-225-4381
Rep. Kevin Brady (R - 08) NO 202-225-4901 202-225-5524
Rep. Al Green (D - 09) YES 202-225-7508 202-225-2947
Rep. Michael McCaul (R - 10) YES 202-225-2401 202-225-5955
Rep. Mike Conaway (R - 11) NO 202-225-3605 202-225-1783
Rep. Kay Granger (R - 12) NO 202-225-5071 202-225-5683
William Thornberry (R - 13) NO 202-225-3706 202-225-3486
Rep. Ron Paul (R - 14) YES 202-225-2831 None
Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D - 15) NO 202-225-2531 202-225-5688
Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D - 16) NO 202-225-4831 202-225-2016
Rep. Chet Edwards (D – 17) NO 202-225-6105 202-225-0350
Sheila Jackson-Lee (D - 18) N/V 202-225-3816 202-225-3317
Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R - 19) NO 202-225-4005 202-225-9615
Rep. Charles Gonzalez (D - 20) YES 202-225-3236 202-225-1915
Rep. Lamar S. Smith (R - 21) NO 202-225-4236 202-225-8628
Rep. Tom DeLay (R - 22) NO 202-225-5951 202-225-5241
Rep. Henry Bonilla (R - 23) NO 202-225-4511 202-225-2237
Rep. Kenny Marchant (R - 24) NO 202-225-6605 202-225-0074
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D - 25) YES 202-225-4865 202-225-3073
Rep. Michael Burgess (R - 26) YES 202-225-7772 202-225-2919
Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz (D - 27) YES 202-225-7742 202-226-1134
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D - 28) NO 202-225-1640 202-225-1641
Rep. Gene Green (D - 29) YES 202-225-1688 202-225-9903
Eddie Bernice Johnson (D - 30) YES 202-225-8885 202-226-1477
Rep. John Carter (R - 31) NO 202-225-3864 202-225-5886
Rep. Pete Sessions (R - 32) NO 202-225-2231 202-225-5878

UTAH Noes: 3

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC Fax
Rep. Rob Bishop (R - 01) NO 202-225-0453 202-225-5857
Rep. James Matheson (D - 02) NO 202-225-3011 202-225-5638
Christopher Cannon (R - 03) NO 202-225-7751 202-225-5629

VERMONT Ayes: 1

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Bernard Sanders (I) YES 202-225-4115 202-225-6790

VIRGINIA Ayes: 7 | Noes: 4

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Jo Ann S. Davis (R - 01) YES 202-225-4261 202-225-4382
Rep. Thelma Drake (R - 02) NO 202-225-4215 202-225-4218
Rep. Robert C. Scott (D - 03) YES 202-225-8351 202-225-8354
Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R - 04) YES 202-225-6365 202-226-1170
Rep. Virgil Goode (R - 05) YES 202-225-4711 202-225-5681
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R - 06) NO 202-225-5431 202-225-9681
Rep. Eric I. Cantor (R - 07) NO 202-225-2815 202-225-0011
Rep. James P. Moran (D - 08) YES 202-225-4376 202-225-0017
Rep. Rick Boucher (D - 09) NO 202-225-3861 202-225-0442
Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R - 10) YES 202-225-5136 202-225-0437
Rep. Tom Davis (R - 11) YES 202-225-1492 202-225-3071

VIRGIN ISLANDS

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Donna Christian-Christensen (D) - 202-225-1790 202-225-5517

WASHINGTON Ayes: 6 | Noes: 3

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Jay Inslee (D - 01) YES 202-225-6311 202-226-1606
Rep. Richard Larsen (D - 02) YES 202-225-2605 202-225-4420
Rep. Brian Baird (D - 03) YES 202-225-3536 202-225-3478
Rep. Richard Hastings (R - 04) NO 202-225-5816 202-225-3251
Rep. Cathy McMorris (R - 05) NO 202-225-2006 202-225-3392
Rep. Norman D. Dicks (D - 06) YES 202-225-5916 202-226-1176
Rep. Jim McDermott (D - 07) YES 202-225-3106 202-225-6197
Rep. Dave Reichert (R - 08) YES 202-225-7761 202-225-4282
Rep. Adam Smith (D - 09) NO 202-225-8901 202-225-5893

WEST VIRGINIA Ayes: 3

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Alan Mollohan (D - 01) YES 202-225-4172 202-225-7564
Shelley Moore Capito (R - 02) YES 202-225-2711 202-225-7856
Rep. Nick Rahall(D - 03) YES 202-225-3452 202-225-9061


WISCONSIN Ayes: 6 | Noes: 2

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Paul Ryan (R - 01) NO 202-225-3031 202-225-3393
Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D - 02) YES 202-225-2906 202-225-6942
Rep. Ron Kind (D - 03) YES 202-225-5506 202-225-5739
Rep. Gwen Moore (D – 04) YES 202-225-4572 202-225-8135
James Sensenbrenner (R - 05) YES 202-225-5101 202-225-3190
Rep. Thomas E. Petri (R - 06) NO 202-225-2476 202-225-2356
Rep. David R. Obey (D - 07) YES 202-225-3365 None
Rep. Mark Green (R - 08) YES 202-225-5665 202-225-5729

WYOMING Noes: 1

Member Name Vote DC Phone DC FAX
Rep. Barbara Cubin (R ) NO 202-225-2311 202-225-3057

Second Chances

Local man fights for horses--Popular bartender devotes life to saving horses from slaughter.By Jed Herrington, REPORTER BG News Independent Student Press, June 14, 2005

"I've been told when you find your passion, follow it in life," says Craig Lundgren, who is one of the more familiar faces of Bowling Green nightlife. "Something always brought me back to horses." Lundgren, the bald-headed, fast-moving bartender at the
nightclub/sports bar, Uptown/Downtown, is known in Bowling Green for mixing up drinks, and is now gaining even more recognition as a horse rescuer.

After tiring of the city life as a postman in Seattle, Lundgren decided to make the move to Ohio in order to pursue a more relaxed pace, which he hoped would entail spending time with horses. He bought three and with support from his friends, ended up taking on more than that. Now Lundgren is watching over 21 of his favorite animals, 17 of which he rescued from being slaughtered.

In the United States, three slaughterhouses deal exclusively with horses. The Belgian-owned Cavel International in DeKalb, Ill., and BelTex Corporation in Fort Worth, Texas, along with the French-owned Dallas Crown in Kaufman, Texas, buy and kill horses for human consumption.

According to Lundgren, Ohio and Pennsylvania send the most horses to death than any other states in the country, many of them ending up in either Texas or Illinois.
"Last year there were 65,976 horses slaughtered in the United States alone for human consumption," he said.

Many equate horse meat with dog food -- which it was until the latter part of the 1960s, when the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act forced pet food companies to disclose to consumers what their canines where really eating.

Horse meat is a popular dietary staple in some international markets today, especially in Europe and Japan. Specialized butcher shops, like the boucheries chevalines in France, sell the meat from $14 to $25 per pound.

Horses end up at slaughterhouses for a variety of reasons, ranging from old age and overpopulation to acquisition at auctions by the slaughterhouses themselves. Many are purchased by "kill-buyers," which are traders that ultimately function as middlemen for the horsemeat companies.

Lundgren disapproves of the auctions, especially their end result. He believes they are too accessible to kill-buyers and would rather see the animals succumb to euthanasia than face the slaughterhouses. He said places like the University of Findlay "put them to sleep" for approximately $225.

He sees many horse thefts as being fueled by the equine gourmand trend and is weary of becoming too well-known as a rescuer because of what he labels as a "horse mafia" operating within the trade. He said a friend from Kentucky called him one evening and said she had a horse stolen from her barn, so he drove all night to a sale in Illinois where he believed the animal might have been.

"I searched all the back trucks, all the parking lots, all the kill-pens, but no horse," he said.

Lundgren also said one particular method of horse transportation exemplifies inhumanity. According to Lundgren en route to sales, owners file the animals into crowded, double-deck trailers, which are illegal to haul horses in.

After the auctions, many of the horses purchased by kill-buyers don't go straight to one of the three foreign companies. Some are kept at feedlots, where they are fattened until they reach the girth desired by the slaughterhouses.

"The bigger the horse, the better," Lundgren said. "They want something with meat on them."

Lundgren has rescued two horses from the feedlots, which he deems "deplorable," but it is the process at the slaughterhouse that may be what causes the most concern with animal enthusiasts like himself.

Before the horses are killed they are rendered unconscious by bolt guns. Sometimes, as shown on the Web site, sharkonline.org, (SHARK stands for SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness) it takes multiple shots to knock them out, and even then it may not be enough. Some videos from the Web site show shaky handling of the guns, with shots missing the head and landing instead on the animal's neck, shoulders or face.

"When they are in the pens waiting, they sense it, they feel it," Lundgren said.

Whether or not they are already dead or unconscious, the horses are put into kill-chutes and then hung by their hind-quarters and then slit across the throat.

"It's cruel and inhumane the way they slaughter these horses," Lundgren said. "It irks me that we call ourselves a civilized society when we treat our animals like this."

He also said it is a misconception that only old, sick or crippled horses are killed for their meat. "They'll kill anything that's over six months old," he said.

There seems to be a lack of vocal proponents of the horse-for-consumption industry in the United States, and Web sites for the three slaughterhouse companies are brief and list only product availability and ordering information.

Even a victory at one of America's biggest sports spectacles won't guarantee a detour of the slaughterhouse.

After winning the 1986 Kentucky Derby and being crowned "America's Horse of the Year" in 1987, Ferdinand, a golden chestnut, was retired into breeding in Kentucky. Rendered inadequate as a stud, Ferdinand was sold to Japanese breeding interests and was eventually "digested" by the horse disposal system.

Lundgren hopes to save other horses from the same fate as Ferdinand.

Hobbies Horse Stables and Sanctuary is owned by brothers Jeff and John Hobbie, who also operate Uptown/Downtown. The Hobbies are Lundgren's biggest supporters and help him with expenses such as veterinarian costs and compensation for his staff of seven.

Lundgren also says he receives support from students and residents when they order a drink from him.

"All the money students give me in tips goes right out there to those horses," he said.

On many occasions Lundgren travels to auctions in places like Shipshewana, Ind., and Sugarcreek, Ohio, and when he can, he brings a horse back to Bowling Green with him, sometimes paying $500 to $750 for each one. At other times the animals are brought to him, some in dire need of assistance.

On one occasion, he received an injured mare covered in blood and near death. He said he took the animal into one of his barns, cradled it and spoke soothingly into its ear.

"This girl let out a deep sigh, like a sigh of relief," he said. "I could sense she knew she was safe, that she wasn't in trouble anymore."

Raised on a cattle farm in Northern Minnesota, Lundgren witnessed many slaughters, and says he can still differentiate between horses and other livestock, even though he elects not to eat red meat.

"Horses aren't classified as livestock animals," he said. "They are classified as companion animals like cats and dogs."

Lundgren is partly of Native American decent and derives many of his spiritual beliefs from this heritage. He is especially excited about one of the horses born from a mother he rescued. The new offspring ended up being a "Medicine Hat," which get their name because of the unique coloring on top of their heads that is absent on other parts of the body. He said Native American warriors used to ride Medicine Hats into battle for good luck.

His other horses make his work a rewarding experience as well. He said he rescued his best horse, "Hippie," from one of the Texas slaughterhouses. He is also very fond of a mare named "Lady," which he saved while she was pregnant.

"I haven't had one problem with her," he said. "She is an absolute sweetheart."

Amanda Mossman, a trainer at the sanctuary, is supportive of Lundgren's aide to equines.

"I think it's awesome," she said. "They definitely need help and someone out there needs to help them."

Lundgren trains the horses to get them ready for adoption, which he deems important. He was near-fatally kicked in the head by one of his first horses, but blames himself for not being careful enough with it. He now works extensively with the animals in hopes that he will find an owner that matches up well with each horse. He charges an adoption fee of $500 and asks owners to sign a contract.

"When I adopt a horse to somebody, they have to sign an adoption agreement that says they will not sell to a slaughterhouse or a horse auction house," he said. "They also have to agree to provide appropriate veterinarian care for the animal and take care of it as best as possible."

Lundgren also requires that if someone receives a horse from him and can no longer take care of it, he will be given first choice of whether it will be brought back to his sanctuary.

Lundgren is not alone in his concerns.

Numerous organizations, such as the Equine Protection Network and the International Fund for horses, work to sever the connection between auction blocks and slaughterhouses. They spread news on the topic, push for horse-friendly legislation and bring animal welfare advocates together.

Lundgren uses the Internet to access horse-advocacy Web sites, as well as Yahoo chat groups to keep him on top of legal developments and news on the commercial trade. He said he is not affiliated with any particular group and makes sure he strays from being labeled an "activist," because he believes education will do a lot more for the horses than "shouting."

"We're not animal activists, we're animal welfare people. We care about the welfare of the animal," he said. "Basically, we love horses."

A big setback for the equine advocacy movement came this winter when a 3,000 page federal appropriations bill was signed into law that contained an amendment of less than 200 words that some think was possibly overlooked by many legislators and even the president.

Rider No.142, authored by Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., requires the U.S. Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management to sell horses that are either older than 10 years or have been unsuccessfully offered for adoption three or more times "without limitation" at auctions or livestock sale facilities.

The growing overpopulation of wild horses such as mustangs throughout ranching regions like Montana poses an economic problem because the horses compete for grazing grass with cattle. According to the Billings Gazette, Burns said the revious adoption system run by the Bueau of Land Management wasn't working and left many horses in feedlot conditions.

"These are horses with hearts and free spirits,'' he said. "They are being held in confinement, not on the open range."

On April 25, 2005, BLM director Kathleen Clarke suspended all wild horse transactions after it was reported that 41 horses sold under the BLM's new authority had ended up in slaughterhouses.

According to the Society for Animal Protective Legislation, on May 19, 2005, the U.S. House of representatives passed an amendment to ban the slaughter of wild mustangs, and just last Wednesday, it passed an amendment to the agriculture appropriations bill that poses a significant threat to domestic horse slaughter in the United States. The Sweeney amendment, named for its sponsor, John Sweeney, R-N.Y., passed 269 to 158.

The amendment aims to stop taxpayer funding for federal inspectors at the three slaughterhouses, and if the Senate passes a companion bill, the slaughterhouses will be shut down for twelve months, beginning October 1, 2005.

The said co-sponsors Ed Whitfield, R-Ky, John Spratt, D-S.C., and Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., will work with Sweeney in efforts to pass The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503), which aims to permanently end horse slaughter in the United States.

Even with the progress on Capitol Hill, Lundgren continues his crusade locally. He plans to give presentations that echo his message of "Rescue Don't Breed," to local groups, such as 4-H, and has already went to the Bowling Green Rotary Club in hopes to gain support for non-profit status for his sanctuary. He said that even if slaughter stops altogether in the United States, his services will still be needed.

"They're going to ship them to Mexico, they're going to ship them to Canada," he said.

He and a friend from Cincinnati are talking with various pro-horse publications with hopes to run an ad designed to raise awareness about the death-for-consumption trade. Lundgren says the ad, which will also be a poster, will have pictures of horse eyes set in rows -- a layout that seems to sum up his stake in the cause that is becoming his life's work.

"My problem is," Lundgren said, "as soon as I look a horse in the eye, I can't turn away."

SEE FOR YOURSELF.

If you still don't understand the issues behind horse slaughter, please watch this short film today--BLOOD COUNTRY

Ferdinand Fee Created to Fight Horse Slaughter...

New York breeders endorse Ferdinand Fee to fight horse slaughter--from the Thoroughbred Times

Directors of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc. voted unanimously on June 11 to establish a voluntary Ferdinand fee, proceeds of which would go to fight horse slaughter in the United States.

The New York Thoroughbred Breeders will contribute to the fund through a $10 fee, which members can choose to participate in by checking a box on their yearly application. The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association in conjunction with the New York Racing Association initiated the Ferdinand Fee, which allows owners and horsemen the opportunity to contribute $2 per start to the fund for retired racehorses.

All monies collected will go to either Blue Horse Charities or to Thoroughbred Charities of America, both of which support horse rescue and Thoroughbred re-training programs.

"With over 1,000 members, [the New York Thoroughbred breeders] participation will make a positive impact on the lives of many retired horses," said Ferdinand Fee founder Bill Heller, a THOROUGHBRED TIMES contributor and author of After the Finish Line: The Race to End Horse Slaughter, published by BowTie Press.

WHAT TO DO NOW!

The House of Representatives have heard us, now it's time to concentrate your efforts on the Senate...

***
Briefing III: S. 576, Senate version of HR 297

LEGISLATION INTRODUCED IN THE SENATE TO REPEAL BURNS' WILD HORSE AMENDMENT

On March 9, Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) introduced S. 576, the Senate companion bill of H.R. 297, the legislation that will repeal the last minute amendment snuck into the 2005 Federal Appropiations Bill by Sen. Burns (R-MT) last November that allows the commercial sale of wild horses, thus opening the door for long protected wild horses to likely be slaughtered.

S. 576 would restore the ban on the commercial sale of wild free-roaming horses and burros granted by Congress 33 years ago through the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. The bill has recently been referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Immediate action is needed in order to ensure the passage of this vital legislation.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1) ASK YOUR TWO SENATORS TO COSPONSOR S. 576

Contact your two US Senators and ask them to cosponsor S. 576. You should also contact ALL the members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and request that they cosponsor S. 576 and urge them to quickly bring the bill to public hearing.

To find out who your Senators are, go to
www.visi.com/juan/congress/index.html or www.congress.org

At the end of this post you will find a letter template you can send to your Senators regarding S. 576.

Additional information about this bill can be found at:

www.wildhorsepreservation.com/resources/s_576.html
www.saplonline.org/w_horses.htm

Written letters and faxes are much more effective than emails. Phone calls are also a good way to contact your legislators.

Please start writing, faxing and calling today! Forward this alert to all your contacts and ask them to do the same.

2) CONTACT THE MEDIA ABOUT S. 576, THE AHSPA AND HORSE SLAUGHTER.

It is also vital to keep up the pressure on the media at local, state and national level. Please, keep sending letters to the editor and story suggestions to your local and state papers, TV and radio stations as well as to the major national media networks about S. 576 and the other bills introduced in Congress to restore protection to wild horses (H.R. 297) and to ban horse slaughter (H.R. 503). You will find media contact info on this website:

http://newslink.org

It is also very important that you get the word out and tell everyone you know about the wild horse issue and horse slaughter. Please forward this message to all your contacts!



--------- LETTER TEMPLATE FOR S. 576 -----------

(We encourage you to "customize" it with your own words so the
letters do not look like "form letters"; thanks)

-----


The Honorable __________________


Subject: Cosponsor S. 576.

Dear Senator ______________:

I am writing to urge you to co-sponsor S. 576, the legislation introduced by Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) and that reverses the amendment to the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horse & Burro Act stealthily introduced by Senator Conrad Burns as a rider to the 2005 Appropriations Bill. If allowed to stand, the Burns provision will lead to the slaughter of thousands of wild horses for human consumption abroad.

Our wild horses are a vital part of our national heritage. The law that was enacted for their protection thirty years ago was the result of a greater public outcry than over any issue except the Vietnam War, and was passed without a single dissenting vote. I am extremely distressed over the fact that this law enacted by the people for the people was eviscerated without so much as a hearing or opportunity
for public review.

The reasons argued by Sen. Burns to defend the slaughter of wild horses hold no water. There is not an overpopulation of wild horses as Mr. Burns claims; in fact since 1971, when Congress passed the Wild Horses and Burros Act recognizing that they were quickly disappearing and needed protection from slaughter, the number of wild horses on public lands dropped from about 64,000 to less than 35,000 right now. There were 303 herd areas where wild horses and burros were protected, now there are only 186 areas where horses still roam.

Domestic cattle outnumbers wild horses in a 1-150 ratio. While there are less than 35,000 wild horses remaining distributed in 10 states, up to 4,5 million cattle occupy the same lands. Furthermore, a study made by the General Accounting Office showed that the overgrazing problem was actually caused by poorly managed domestic cattle herds while the wild horses caused no damage to the lands. The study
pointed out that a reduction on the number of cattle, not horses, was necessary to protect the health of the lands.

To suggest that an acceptable solution to a federal agency's management dilemma is commercial slaughter is an irresponsible approach to our public lands and the wildlife that roam them.

Over the past 100 years, our wild horse populations have steadily declined from over two million to less than 35,000. Still, the round-ups continue at great costs to taxpayers. It is my understanding that an in-the-wild management and chemical sterilization program not based on removal would save millions of our tax dollars annually. It would also reflect the will of the American people by preserving free-
roaming herds on public lands for generations to come.

In addition to co-sponsoring S. 576, I also urge you to support a moratorium on round-ups until actual numbers of wild horses on public lands have been independently assessed, and a Congressional investigation into current wild horse management practices.

I respectfully request a prompt response from you stating your position with regard to this legislation which would restore the prohibition on the commercial sale and slaughter of wild horses and burros. Thank you for your time and consideration of this letter.


Sincerely,



Signature
Name
Address

Dismembered Horse Parts Spilled on Highway

Spilled horse parts leave smelly mess
By Alex Branch, Star-Telegram Staff Writer


FORT WORTH - A truck spilled 300 to 400 pounds of dismembered horse parts in north Fort Worth on Wednesday, disrupting traffic and filling the air with the smell of spoiled meat, police said.

Horse organs, heads and hoofs fell from a truck about 7:45 p.m. in the 3700 block of Decatur Avenue. The truck had left Beltex Corp., a north Fort Worth horse slaughtering plant, police officer Alana Baxter said.

The truck did not stop, Baxter said.

People at a nearby business said the spill happened when the truck driver had to make a sudden stop.

The smell, they said, was nauseating.

"I had just eaten a banana split," Candi Brown said. "And as soon as I went outside, I just threw up."

Paulette Richardson called the odor "the grossest and most horrible thing I have smelled."

Baxter said she is not usually affected by strong odors, but she had to put a towel around her face. Passers-by also complained of the smell, and vehicles slipped and skidded as they drove through it.

"It was a really big mess," she said.

Baxter said she contacted Beltex officials, who had most of the parts cleaned up by 10 p.m. City street workers laid sand over the area afterward.

Street workers said they have cleaned up similar spills before.

House Passes Ban on Horse Slaughter for One Year; Senate Vote Needed to Make Permanent

Landslide U.S. House of Representatives Vote to End Horse Slaughter

Distribution Source : U.S. Newswire

Date : Thursday - June 09, 2005

Contact: Chris Heyde of the Society for Animal Protective Legislation, 703-836-4300, Liz Ross of the Doris Day Animal League, 202-546-1761 ext. 30

WASHINGTON, June 8 /U.S. Newswire/ -- For the second time in just three weeks, the U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor of stopping horse slaughter in the United States. Yesterday's 269-158 landslide vote bars federal funds from being used to facilitate all horse slaughter. A previous amendment only prevented wild horses from going to slaughter.

...Because yesterday's amendment is attached to an annual spending bill, it will only stop horse slaughter for one year. The U.S. Senate must also approve the measure, which will be the next focus for the coalition. The vote demonstrates strong public and congressional support for a permanent ban -- which must be achieved through passage of H.R. 503, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. U.S. Representative John Sweeney (R- NY), who sponsored yesterday's amendment, is also the sponsor of the Act. He is joined on both measures by his colleagues, U.S. Representatives John Spratt (D-SC), Ed Whitfield (R-KY) and Nick Rahall (D-WV).

"The vote on an amendment by Congressmen Sweeney, Spratt, Rahall and Whitfield is a huge victory on behalf of our campaign to end horse slaughter. These tremendous legislators, their incredible staff and all of those who voted in favor of ending horse slaughter showed us what good can come from the halls of Congress," said Chris Heyde, SAPL policy analyst.

"We always believed that if we could just bring this issue before the full Congress, we would prevail. The facts, and the American public, support an end to horse slaughter. Congress listened, and we are one step closer to making horse slaughter a thing of the past in this country. But Americans must continue to push Congress for a permanent ban," said Liz Ross, director of special projects for the Doris Day Animal League...

Landslide Vote Needs Follow-up

Dear friends,

I just wanted to thank all of you wonderful friends of the horses, for your hard work and support on the efforts to end the horrible trade of our horses for slaughter!

Thank you for writing and calling your congressmen, and thank you for fighting so hard to dispell the lies and misinformation diseminated by the AQHA, AVMA, and AAEP!

You are all awesome!

I would like to make a couple more requests of your valuable time and assistance...

First, it would be a great help to us if you could write a brief thank you note to each of the congressmen/congresswomen from your state who voted for the amendment!

It is vitally important that we let the legislators in our states know that we are paying attention to how they vote and that this issue is of great importance to us. I would also ask you to request in your letters to the delegates of your state, that you ask them to sign on as a co-sponsor to HR 503 if they have not already done so.

You can find out how your delgates voted here:
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll233.xml


You can find out who the delegates from your state are here:
http://clerk.house.gov/members/index.html
(click on view members by state)

You can find out who the co-sponsors are here:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR00503:@@@P

Secondly, if you are an AQHA member and disagree with the AQHA position on horse slaughter, please write to the AQHA to tell them so, and also please forward a copy of your letters to us at info@horse-protection.org.

We will use your letter to show that the AQHA is NOT representing their entire membership on this issue.

Write to the AQHA at wstutz@aqha.org

And finally, please ask your veterinarian what their position is on the horse slaughter issue, and should they disagree with the AVMA/AAEP, please download a copy of our letter for veterinarians to sign stating that they disagree with the vets groups opinion on the issue.

You can download the vets letter here:
http://www.horse-protection.org/pdf/vetsupport.pdfPlease instruct the veterinarian to fax the letter back to us at the number that is provided at in the letter.

Again, thank you so very much for all your hard work! Stay posted for alerts on what we will need to do next! Details will be coming soon!

Please crosspost this request far and wide!


Gail Vacca
Illinois Coordinator
National Horse Protection Coalition
Phone: 815-761-4937
Fax: 815-787-4957
www.horse-protection.org

Congress Voting Today on Horse Slaughter Measure

--Read full article at Bloodhorse.com
Congress will vote Wednesday on an amendment to prevent the slaughter of horses for human consumption in foreign markets. Representative John Sweeney (R-NY), co-chair of the Congressional Horse Caucus, is expected to introduce an amendment to the House Agriculture Appropriations bill that would prohibit any federal taxpayer funds from being used to slaughter horses.

"It is unconscionable that for decades, we have been using federal taxpayer dollars to support a practice that the American public is overwhelmingly opposed to," Sweeney said in a June 6 press release. "The amendment I'll introduce along with my colleagues John Spratt (D-SC), Nick Rahall (D-WV), and Ed Whitfield (R-KY) will prohibit federal taxpayer dollars from being spent on facilitating the export of horse meat from the United States for sale to countries abroad."

...According to the Society for Animal Protective Legislation Web site, about 66,000 horses were slaughtered last year by three foreign-owned U.S.-based horse slaughter plants in Texas and Illinois.

"We do not eat our horses in the United States and it makes good fiscal sense to prohibit any further waste of the American people's hard earned money for an industry that offers absolutely no economic value to the United States," Sweeney said. "Even more importantly, it is our responsibility as a humane nation to protect our equine pets, companions, and athletes from the cruelty of horse slaughter..."

ACTION ALERT! URGENT CALLS NEEDED MONDAY!

Congress Moves to Stop Horse Slaughter

URGENT CALLS NEEDED MONDAY!

June 6, 2005

Dear Humanitarian:

Congress is poised to vote on legislation to stop the brutal slaughter of horses in the United States for human consumption in foreign countries. Everyone concerned about the welfare of horses must act now to ensure pro-horse slaughter organizations such as the AVMA and AAEP don't continue to mislead Congress.

Representative John Sweeney (R-NY), co-chair of the Congressional Horse Caucus, and Representative John Spratt (D-SC) are expected to introduce an amendment to the House Agriculture Appropriations bill that prohibits any federal taxpayer funds from being used to slaughter horses.

Please take a moment to contact your Representative TODAY, urging their immediate support of the Sweeney/Spratt amendment to the House Agriculture Appropriations Bill. Congress will consider the amendment toward the end of the week of June 6th, so your immediate assistance is critical. If you would like additional facts or need to find the name of any of your legislators, visit our Web site at: www.saplonline.org/horses.htm or call (703) 836-4300.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Please call, fax or e-mail your Member of the House of Representatives. Refer to the fact sheet below for specific points to discuss.

Ask your Representative to support the Sweeney/Spratt Amendment (prohibiting your tax dollars from being spent on horse slaughter) -- and respectfully request his or her specific position the issue.

Capitol Hill Operator: (202) 224-3121 (they will help you reach your legislator)

E-mail: http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Your immediate assistance is essential to ensure Congress hears from an outpouring of concerned constituents. Please cross post and share our "Dear Humanitarian" eAlert with family, friends and coworkers, and encourage them to make calls, too. As always, please share any responses you receive from Congress with us.

Thank you so much for your help!

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Facts and Fiction...

guest commentary
Fact, fiction on West's wild horses
By Andrea Lococo
Washington, D.C.


Some members of the Colorado congressional delegation apparently have been hoodwinked into believing that there are too many wild horses roaming on Western public lands; that they are starving to death; that their removal is necessary to protect the environment; and that caring for them is too costly, so allowing them to be sold to slaughter is the only recourse. Nothing could be further from the truth.

It is incumbent upon federal legislators to sort out facts from fiction. Thankfully, the majority of congressmen, including Reps. Diana DeGette and Mark Udall, did just that when they voted a few days ago in support of the Rahall/Whitfield amendment to the Interior Appropriations bill, the purpose of which was to ensure that no taxpayer dollars are used for the sales of wild horses that could lead to their slaughter.

To set the record straight:

Fiction: Wild horses are overpopulated.
Fact: Wild horse populations have been reduced from more than 2
million at the turn of the last century to less than 35,000 today - soon to be reduced to only 22,000, roughly 1 percent of the original wild horse population. Compared to the millions of privately owned livestock grazing on the same public lands, it's clear that the only animals overpopulated are cows and sheep.

The majority of wild horse herds are managed at such low populations that their long-term genetic viability is in serious jeopardy. Yet the livestock industry still isn't satisfied and continues to pressure the Bureau of Land Management, the primary agency charged with the protection of wild horses and burros, to reduce their numbers and their habitat acreage.

Fiction: The program is too costly and selling horses is necessary to save money.

Fact: The current $40 million wild horse program pales in comparison to the estimated $500 million American taxpayers lose each year on
the livestock grazing program.

Removing wild horses is just one of a host of taxpayer subsidies for the livestock industry. Taxpayers are footing the bill to support private ranchers who pay a pittance for grazing fees, who profit from low property taxes and open range laws, and use public- lands permits as collateral to obtain bank loans.

Other wastes of general tax dollars include exterminating wildlife on public lands, littering public lands with fences and water developments to accommodate livestock, and offering price supports and emergency relief to benefit ranchers.

To make matters worse, less than 2 percent of the nation's beef supply is produced on Western public lands and the majority of taxpayer subsidies go directly into the pockets of large corporations and millionaires, not family- run small ranches. Welfare to corporate cowboys is as fiscally irresponsible as it gets.

Furthermore, selling wild horses for as little as $1 apiece seals their fate. Just since the end of February, when the government started selling wild horses, several have been sold to slaughter. Countless more will follow, only to wind up in fancy overseas restaurants.

Fiction: Horses are causing habitat degradation.

Fact: Numerous scientific studies, plus the government's own data, indicate that the primary cause of soil erosion, water depletion and pollution, and loss of native vegetation is livestock grazing. Because of overwhelming evidence and public demand, the BLM finally began reducing livestock grazing pressure on public lands during the 1990s. Naturally, such reductions displeased ranchers, and they clamored for wild horse removals in order to eliminate competition for valuable forage.

In 2000, the BLM caved in to this political pressure and recklessly decided to initiate sudden and massive round- ups of wild horses and burros with a goal of reducing their population in half within five years. This decision set the stage for a backlog in the Adopt-a-Wild-Horse program, which, until then, had kept pace with removals.

Fiction: Horses are starving to death and must be removed for
their own good.

Fact: Horses are being removed, not for their own good, but for the good of the livestock industry. Playing on the public's sympathies can't disguise the fact that the thousands of horses presently being rounded up are perfectly healthy. In rare circumstances, horses may face starvation due to severe climatic conditions, just as other wildlife species, but more often than not, they are unable to access forage in their own herd areas due to fencing constructed to confine livestock, but which also illegally confines wild horses.

Let's hope the rest of the Colorado delegation removes its blinders by learning the facts about the government's mismanagement of our nation's wild horses and burros. Co-sponsoring House Resolution 297 and Senate Bill 576 will help to ensure that these "living symbols of the historic and pioneer West" are not sold to slaughter. After years of merciless persecution, that's the least these majestic animals deserve.

Andrea Lococo is a wildlife consultant for the Society for Animal Protective Legislation, a national organization headquartered in Washington, D.C.

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