The House voted unanimously on Wednesday to ban people from slaughtering dogs or cats for food, or from being involved in any transaction related to dog or cat meat.
The House approved the Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act, which was sponsored by Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla. Under the bill, people could be fined up to $5,000 for each violation.
Supporters of the bill say a federal law is needed because only a few states have laws in place preventing the sale of dog and cat meat. Buchanan said when he introduced his bill that dogs and cats "provide important companionship to millions of people and should not be slaughtered and sold as food," and his House colleagues agreed that they shouldn't be eaten.
"While this practice is completely unacceptable in the United States, only four states explicitly ban it," Rep. Ralph Abraham, R-La., said on the House floor.
"We treat our pets as members of the family," added Rep. Stacey Plaskett, D-V.I., who noted that 68 percent of Americans have a pet. "That's why I'm surprised to learn that we don't already have a law on the books that prevents the killing of dogs and cats for their meat."
The bill that passed the House Wednesday has an exemption for Native American tribes who might use cats and dogs in their religious ceremonies.
Later Wednesday, the House is expected to vote on a nonbinding resolution from Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., that calls on China, South Korea, Vietnam, and other Asian nations to outlaw trade in meat from cats and dogs.
