On the opening day of the 110th Congress, lawmakers signaled their commitment to animal protection by introducing a bill that would make animal fighting a felony punishable by up to three years in prison.
The bill, introduced by Reps. Elton Gallegly, R-Calif., Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., and Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., would make it a felony to transport an animal across state or international borders for animal fighting. Additionally, it would prohibit the interstate and foreign commerce in knives and gaffs designed for use in cockfighting.
The Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act enjoys overwhelming support on Capitol Hill. Introduced in the last Congress by Rep. Mark Green, R-Wisc., the legislation gained 324 cosponsors (about three-quarters of the House and more than nearly any other pending bill). A Senate version of the measure passed the upper chamber unanimously early in the 109th Congress, and is expected to be reintroduced by Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and John Ensign, R-Nev., next week.
The bill introduced on the first day of the new Congress shows increased awareness of the seriousness of the crime of animal fighting because it allows up to three years of jail time rather than up to two years, as the bill debated in the last Congress allowed.
The link between cockfighting and avian flu is of growing concern to federal lawmakers. With cockfighting shown to contribute to the disease's spread in Asia, there are fears that birds brought illegally into the United States for fighting could bring avian flu with them.
