In a rare sign of bipartisanship, long-time Senate Republican leader Bob Dole and influential former Democratic Sen. Bob Kerrey have joined with the Washington-based Humane Society of the United States to push several legislative efforts to protect animals.
Dole, the former senator who was the GOP presidential nominee in 1996, and Kerrey, also a former Nebraska governor who ran in the Democratic primaries in 1992, have both supported animal welfare efforts before.
But in teaming with HSUS, they give the national pro-animal movement momentum, according to Humane Society President Wayne Pacelle. “They both understand the importance of pushing reforms ahead, even if progress is slow and halting. They also understand the value of building a big tent for the animal protection movement,” he said.
Dole with his dog Leader.
Pacelle said in a blog posting that the two are backing at least five major initiatives before Congress, from ending the use of live animals in cosmetics tests to letting abused women seeking safety in shelters to also bring their pets. The women, said Pacelle, should not be “forced to choose between their safety and their pets.”
He added, “We are glad to have Sens. Dole and Kerrey as champions, and we thank them for their passion for animal protection. We hope that lawmakers from both political parties heed their plea to pass these commonsense reforms and to swiftly eliminate unacceptable animal welfare problems in our society.”
Both were named special advisors to HSUS this week.
Kerrey is a special advisor to the Humane Society. AP Photo
The legislation they are calling on Congress to approve includes:
— The Prevent Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act (H.R. 2293) will complement the federal laws on animal fighting and crush videos by prohibiting extreme animal abuse involving interstate commerce or on federal property.
— The Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act (S. 1121) will end the cruel practice of soring, in which unscrupulous trainers inflict pain on the feet and legs of Tennessee Walking Horses to force them into an unnatural gait.
— The Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act (H.R. 1258) will amend the Violence Against Women Act to include protections for pets, and provide grants to domestic violence shelters to accommodate pets, so that abused women aren’t forced to choose between their safety and their pets.
— The Animal Welfare in Agricultural Research Endeavors (AWARE) Act (H.R. 746/S. 388) will close the loophole in the Animal Welfare Act that exempts animals used in agricultural experiments at federally run facilities from the Act’s basic protections.
— The Humane Cosmetics Act will phase out both the use of live animals in cosmetics testing and the sale of cosmetics that have been tested on animals – following the lead of more than 30 other countries.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
