U.S. Reps. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., and Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., for sponsoring legislation to ban the cruel practice of "soring," which produces an artificial high-stepping gait for the Tennessee Walking Horse. Read more  06/21/03

The Humane Society of the United States and the United Egg Producers   for working together on federal legislation that would lead to improvements in housing for 280 million hens involved in U.S. egg production.  Here are the details.

Illinois State Rep. Luis Arroyo for sponsoring the Lion Meat Act, which would make it unlawful to slaughter a lion or for any person to possess, breed, import or export from Illinois, buy or sell lions for the purpose of slaughter. Details of the bill

Florida State Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Coral Springs, for joining animal advocates in support of a bill that would strengthen the animal cruelty law and add animal fighting and baiting as a racketeering offense. Source: HSUS

Missouri State Rep. Neal Torpey, R-Independence, for sponsoring a bill that exempts any animal shelter from paying a license or other fees. Here is the proposal.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick for signing the Animal Control Bill, which among other things, creates a statewide spay/neuter program to reduce the number of homeless animals statewide. Read more.

West Virginia State Senate Majority Leader Rep. John Unger, D-Berkeley, for sponsoring a bill that cracks down on "puppy mills," to ensure humane treatment of dogs raised by commercial breeders. See this story.

Missouri House Speaker Timothy Jones, R-Eureka, and State Rep. Jay Houghton, R-Martinsburg, for attempting to make the Secretary of Agriculture into an elected position. Currently, the position is in the Executive Branch, meaning that it is under the oversight of Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon. However, Nixon has increased enforcement efforts against puppy mills, and Attorney General Chris Koster, a likely successor to Nixon, has campaigned to end puppy mills and has created a special unit to prosecute abusive breeders. Apparently, Speaker Jones and cohort Houghton like puppy mills, and they see nothing wrong with the abuses that they bring about. Animal rights people in their districts should put up opponents to these clowns next year in the primaries or general election. We don't need deceptive people like this in office. See the details.

And if puppy mills isn't enough to support, State Missouri Rep. Jay Houghton, a true horse's ass, is sponsoring legislation to prohibit any court from issuing an injunction to stop or delay the construction of any horse-slaughtering facility based on a challenge or appeal of a permit, license, or certificate. In other words, Houghton also wants to do an end-run around the judicial system, too. If there is anybody that should be put out to pasture, it's Jay Houghton.