Do Your Part to Support the Show Horse
Thursday, May 7, 2015
In the last two weeks, the PAST Act was reintroduced by Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and currently the legislation has 17 co-sponsors and industry legislation was introduced by Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and has 2 co-sponsors. The debate on the legislation is a familiar one as this is a rewind of what transpired in the Senate last year.
To this point, no legislation on either side has been introduced in the House of Representatives but sources indicate the Humane Society of the United States is working hard to find a Republican to introduce the radical animal rights legislation. Congressman Ed Whitfield (R-KY) previously introduced and championed the PAST Act in the U.S. House of Representatives however he and his staff’s actions in conjunction with his HSUS lobbyist wife Connie Whitfield have Rep. Whitfield facing ethics charges before his colleagues.
The actions of Sen. Alexander, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Sen. Rand Paul are to be applauded as they stand up for the tradition and rich heritage of the Tennessee Walking Horse in the show ring. These accomplished public servants stepped up in the previous Congress and have once again shown their willingness to champion the welfare of the Tennessee Walking Horse through science-based, objective inspections, independent veterinarian oversight and penalties for those that violate the Horse Protection Act.
As industry participants there are many things you can do.
1. Call your Senator and ask that they contact Senator Alexander’s office and sign on as a sponsor of S. 1161 (Click here to view contact information for the United States Senate)
2. Voice your opinion on Popvox opposing S. 1121 (PAST Act). Click here
3. Voice your opinion supporting S. 1161 (Industry Legislation). Click here
4. Call the offices of the Senators supporting the Tennessee Walking Horse Industry and thank them for sponsoring such important legislation to the show horse
To track updates to both bills, including the list of co-sponsors visit the web site https://www.congress.gov/
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