ISSUES and LEGISLATION
Learn about the Issues.
Learn about what is happening in other states.
The more knowledgeable you are, the more effective you'll be in helping the animals.
Find your State Senator using our Delaware Senate Contact Sheet.
Find your State Representative using our Delaware House of Represenatives Contact
Sheet.
SB 211 – Banning Continuous Dog Tethering or “Chaining”
SB 211 bans the 24-hour tethering of dogs, tethering of dogs under the age of four months, and the tethering of female dogs while their puppies are present.
Facts on Dog Tethering and FSB 211
ACTION: Please Help Now. Please contact your State Senator and ask for their support of this bill.
Phone Script and Sample Email.
HB 324 to Ban the sale, possission, trade and distribution of Shark Fins
Shark finning refers to the removal of shark fins and the discarding of the rest of the fish, which is usually done to save space on fishing vessels. This practices is illegal in Delaware waters however, shark fins can still be traded, bought, sold and imported/exported in Delaware. HB 324 would effectively remove this market and negatively impact the finning industry.
ACTION: Contact your State Representative and ask them to support HB 324.
Fact Sheet on Shark Finning / Shark Finning Brochure
Protecting Delaware's Coyotes
Delaware legislators are considering legislation, SB 129, that would remove all protections from coyotes and allow unregulated killing. Coyote killing programs don't work - they are ineffective; they won't reduce coyote populations; removal is costly; and trapping is inhumane. DVFA opposes SB 129.
ACTION: Please contact members of the House Natural Resources Committee and ask them to oppose SB 129.
Facts on Coyote Protection / Sample Phone Script
| Contact information for U.S. Congressmen for Delaware: |
Senator Tom Carper Phone: (202) 224-2441
Senator Chris Coons Phone: (202) 224-5042
Representative John Carney Phone: (202) 225-4165
|
H.R. 3798 - Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2012
Currently, at least 92 percent of egg-laying hens in the United States are confined in barren battery cages so small the animals can't even spread their wings. Of these birds, about 210 million are provided 67 square inches of space and 50 million are provided with even less space than that meager amount (typically 48 square inches). In July 2011, The Humane Society of the United States and the United Egg Producers reached a historic agreement whereby both organizations will support—and work together toward enactment of—federal legislation to afford certain protections to all U.S. egg laying hens. If enacted, this would be the first federal law relating to chickens used for food, as well as the first federal law relating to the on-farm treatment of any species of farm animal.
TAKE ACTION
H.R. 2966/S. 1176 – American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act
Please urge our U.S. Legislators to co-sponsor and support the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, which will end the transport and slaughter of American horses for human consumption in other countries, in addition to prohibiting horse slaughter in the U.S. Every year, approximately 100,000 American horses are transported in over-crowded trailers, in all weather and health conditions, to Canada and Mexico. There they are slaughtered with inhumane methods and the meat exported to Europe and Asia.
ACTION: Click here to send an email to Delaware Legislators
The Puppy Uniform Protection Statute (PUPS) – S. 707/H.R. 835
PUPS would allow oversight of abusive puppy mills in the United States. Puppy mills, which are large-scale, commercial breeding operations, who sell puppies online or directly to the public are not required to be licensed or inspected. Therefore, the puppy mill operators are not regulated and animals in their care suffer greatly in overcrowded and filthy conditions. PUPS would require that puppy mills are licensed and regulated.
ACTION: Please make quick phone calls to your federal lawmakers and urge them to co-sponsor S. 707/H.R. 835. You may also send an email.
The Exotic Animal Protection Act (TEAPA)
The Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act (TEAPA) is designed to restrict the transportation of exotic animals for use in traveling shows. The bill would also end the keeping of animals for extended periods in temporary facilities, and the cruel training and control methods employed by circuses and address public safety issues. The bill is receiving tremendous bi-partisan support and is the result of public pressure on Congress to stop the inhumane treatment of animals in circuses. The Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act targets only the most egregious conditions and would not impact zoos, aquariums, rodeos or other static facilities with captive wildlife.
ACTION: Urge your federal legislators to support the Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act.
The Sportsmanship in Hunting Act: H.R. 2210
Please ask our U.S. legislators to co-sponsor and support The Sportsman in Hunting Act, which would ban remote-controlled hunting over the Internet. Captive hunts are privately owned ranches where customers pay a fee to shoot semi-tame exotic mammals, including endangered species, as recreation.
ACTION: Send an email now.
University of Delaware: Stop Using Inhumane Battery Cage Eggs, Switch to Cage-Free
UD's Student Government has passed a unanimous resolution calling on the school to go cage-free, and over 3,500 University of Delaware students and staff have signed a petition in support of the change. Even UD alumni are now vowing to withhold donations to the University until a switch to going cage-free is announced. University of Delaware is the only large university in the Philadelphia-Baltimore corridor that has not gone cage-free.
The vast majority of egg-laying hens in the United States are confined in battery cages. On average, each caged laying hen is afforded only 67 square inches of cage space—less space than a single sheet of letter-sized paper on which to live her entire life. Unable even to spread their wings, caged laying hens are among the most intensively confined animals in agribusiness.
“Cage-free eggs are more humane, more environmentally sustainable, and a healthier option for UD students — all things that should be a top priority for the state of Delaware's largest institution of higher-education.”
Read more and sign the petition here: http://news.change.org/stories/university-of-delaware-students-want-the-blue-hens-to-go-cage-free
Please take a few seconds to sign and add your voice - millions of abused caged hens will thank you.
Cole Brothers Circus
Every year the Wilmington Jaycees brings Cole Brothers Circus to Delaware to raise money for the organization. This operation has had a long record of mishandling and mistreating animals which has led to not only to the injury and death of some of these animals, it has also resulted in property damage, injury to persons, and even the death of spectators and employees in 1993 and 1999. Their disturbing record reaches back almost two decades and, unfortunately, they show no signs of improvement. In 2011 alone Cole Brothers Circus has been charged with violations to the Animal Welfare Act and Endangered Species Act and has been cited for cruel treatment of elephants.
DVFA has politely asked the Board of the Wilmington Jaycees to meet for a discussion on Cole Brothers Circus and to explore alternative fundraisers. They have declined our invitation.
ACTION: Please sign the DVFA petition urging the Wilmington Jaycees to stop bringing the circus to Delaware and to identify an alternative fundraiser that does not involve animals as entertainment.
Hunting on Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge
Delaware Votes for Animals (DVFA), working with The Humane Society of the United States, acted on developing evidence of illegal activities and achieved the closure of 200 acres to deer hunting and the closure of two waterfowl blinds in the fall of 2011. Both of these actions were taken because the refuge had failed to conduct the necessary environmental analyses and compatibility determinations when the activities were originally allowed.
In addition to this success in increasing protections for deer and birds, we also obtained a commitment from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to complete the necessary environmental and compatibility analyses for the remaining questionable activities through the preparation of environmental analyses and a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) during 2012.
DVFA will continue to monitor that process closely. With perseverance, we expect this to be only the beginning of strengthened protection for the animals who call this important refuge home.
We thank The HSUS for its help in protecting the wildlife of Prime Hook, and we look forward to continuing to work with HSUS and the Fish and Wildlife Service to help the wildlife at this important Delaware National Wildlife Refuge.
General Information on Delaware Legislation
As animal-related bills are introduced in Delaware, they will be posted to the HSUS state web site.
To read a short synopsis of each bill, or to view the entire bill, please click here.
To follow Legislation in the Delaware General Assembly, including Meeting Schedules and Bill-Tracking, visit the State of Delaware Official web site.
General Information on Federal Legislation
A number of bills to protect animals at the federal level are being considered.
To read a short synopsis of each bill, or to view the entire bill, please click here.
For in-depth analysis and the latest status on various bills, go to Animal Law Coalition. |
