Message from Senator Charles E. Schumer

Dear Mr. Roma:

Thank you for your letter regarding horse slaughter and the humane treatment of horses. I share your concern for these wonderful animals and you will be happy to know that I co-sponsored the S. 727, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009, a bill which would prevent the slaughtered of horses for human consumption.

Animal welfare is personally important to me. In the 110th Congress, I cosponsored several bills to protect companion animals: S. 714, the Pet Safety and Protection Act; S. 1880, which would make dog-fighting a federal crime; and S. 2439, which would require the Federal Bureau of Investigation to track animal-cruelty crimes nationwide. Provisions very similar to the Pet Safety and dog-fighting bills were included in the 2007 farm bill, and I am happy to report that they are now law. I also strongly supported the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, which passed the Senate in April and is now federal law and I have pushed the Appropriations Committee to provide funding to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to develop plans for evacuating pets during emergencies, such as should have happened in Hurricane Katrina. In addition, I was proud to support the passage of P.L. 106-152, a law banning the interstate trade in “crush videos.” Under this law, it is illegal to engage in the interstate commercial distribution of materials depicting animal cruelty, specifically the crushing of small animals by women wearing high-heeled shoes.

Although I am proud of the accomplishments made on behalf of animal welfare so far, I am aware that there are still many animal welfare issues remaining to be addressed. Rest assured that I remain strongly committed to protecting animal welfare.

Again, thank you for contacting me on this important issue. If I may be of further assistance on this or any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator

Please do not respond to this email. To send another message please visit my website at http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/contact/webform.cfm . Thank you.