AQHA ACTION ALERT – SENATE BILL 311

Dear AQHA Member:

TRANSPORTING ANY HORSE FOR ANY ACTIVITY MAY BE AT RISK!

Senator Mary Landrieu (D)-Louisiana, has succeeded in scheduling
Senate Bill 311 for a floor vote. You may recall this bill reads “To
amend the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping,
transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing,
selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered
for human consumption, and for other purposes.

Senator Landrieu has offered the following amendment to this bill:

Section 3 of the Horse Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 1822) is amended to
add the following:

`(1) horses and other equines play a vital role in the
collective experience of the United States and deserve
protection and compassion;
`(2) horses and other equines are domestic animals that are used
primarily for recreation, pleasure, and sport;
`(3) unlike cows, pigs, and many other animals, horses and other
equines are not raised for the purpose of being slaughtered for
human consumption;
`(4) individuals selling horses or other equines at auctions are
seldom aware that the animals may be bought for the purpose of
being slaughtered for human consumption;
`(5) the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the
Department of Agriculture has found that horses and other
equines cannot be safely and humanely transported in double deck
trailers;’; and
(3) by striking paragraph (8) (as redesignated by paragraph (1))
and inserting the following:
`(8) the movement, showing, exhibition, or sale of sore horses
in intrastate commerce, and the shipping, transporting, moving,
delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or
donation in intrastate commerce of horses and other equines to
be slaughtered for human consumption, adversely affect and
burden interstate and foreign commerce;’.

(c) Prohibition- Section 5 of the Horse Protection Act (15 U.S.C.
1824) is amended–

(1) by redesignating paragraphs (8) through (11) as paragraphs
(9) through (12), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after paragraph 7 the following:
`(8) The shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving,
possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of any horse or
other equine to be slaughtered for human consumption.’.

(d) Authority To Detain- Section 6(e) of the Horse Protection Act
(15 U.S.C. 1825(e)) is amended–

(1) by striking the first sentence of paragraph (1);
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) and as paragraphs
(2) and (3), respectively; and
(3) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as redesignated by
paragraph (2)) the following:

`(1) The Secretary may detain for examination, testing, or the
taking of evidence–

`(A) any horse at any horse show, horse exhibition, or horse
sale or auction that is sore or that the Secretary has probable
cause to believe is sore; and
`(B) any horse or other equine that the Secretary has probable
cause to believe is being shipped, transported, moved,
delivered, received, possessed, purchased, sold, or donated in
violation of section 5(8).’.

(e) Authorization of Appropriations- Section 12 of the Horse
Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 1831) is amended by striking `$500,000′
and inserting `$5,000,000′.

This bill may have far-reaching effects on our members and their
ability to buy and sell horses. Members may sell horses unaware of
the buyer’s intent with the animal and to where it may be
transported, possibly resulting in legal ramifications for the
seller. This legislation is vague and ambiguous and its passage
could have far-reaching consequences. We urge you to contact the
senators of your state and voice your opposition to this legislation
and the funding to enact it. To contact your senator, telephone
(202) 224-3121 and ask to be transferred to your senators’ offices.
When speaking with your Senators’ office, please tell them you are
opposed to Senate Bill 311 as written.

*Congress resumes business on Monday, December 3rd . Please do your
part and call on Monday!*

AQHA PUBLIC POLICY COMMITTEE