Dear Mr. Mancuso:
Thank you for your letter supporting S. 1579, the Restore Our American Mustangs Act. I share your concern about protecting wild horses of the Pryor Mountains, and believe that we must strive to protect wild animals from unnecessary harm.
As you know, S. 1579 would ensure that there is adequate land for wild horses to roam and would also prevent the sale or transport of horses or burros for processing into commercial products. S. 1579 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Although I am not a member of this committee, I will closely monitor this legislation as it makes its way through the Senate.
Animal welfare is personally important to me. I am a co-sponsor of S. 727, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009, a bill which would prevent the slaughtered of horses for human consumption. In the 110th Congress, I also 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 2008 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 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.
Again, thank you for contacting me on this important issue. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I may be of further assistance on this or any other matter.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator
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