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| HSUS |
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Michael Markarian and Wayne Pacelle
join Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) at the
2007 Congressional Humane Awards. |
by Harathi Krishnan
The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund (HSLF) recently honored 132 lawmakers for their work advocating animal protection issues in 2007.
Lawmakers who led Congress to protect animals and who received perfect scores of 100 percent on the annual Humane Scorecard were honored during an awards ceremony on March 12 at the U.S. Capitol.
The Humane Scorecard is an annual HSLF rated list of lawmakers' contributions toward protecting animals. The honorees—31 senators and 101 representatives covering 38 states—make up nearly one-third of the Senate and one-quarter of the House.
2007 Legislator of the Year
Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., received the top honor, the 2007 Humane Legislator Award, for his leadership on several key bills. He was the co-author of the Animal Fighting Prohibition Act, which was signed into law in 2007 and strengthens the federal penalties for dogfighting and cockfighting. He is also a leader on the Charitable Remainder Pet Trust Act, which would establish charitable pet trusts for the lifetime care of companion animals.
"Representative Blumenauer has been one of the best and most effective voices for animal protection policies in the U.S. Congress," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS. "On the major policy debates relating to animal protection, Representative Blumenauer is in the forefront, and we are enormously grateful to him for his passion and leadership."
Animal Protection Leaders
The organizations also honored 31 legislators with the Humane Champion award for their leadership on an animal welfare issue and for receiving a perfect score on the Humane Scorecard. Forty-eight lawmakers received the Legislative Leader award for acting as a prime sponsor of pro-animal legislation. Another 52 lawmakers received the Humane Advocate award for scoring 100 percent on the Humane Scorecard.
Every year, more and more lawmakers are taking animal protection seriously and are supporting humane public policies. Find out if your federal lawmakers were leaders in advocating animal welfare issues in 2007.
