EDITOR:

I write to thank U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow for her terrific work to include mainstream animal welfare reforms in the recent Farm Bill that passed the Congress overwhelmingly. The Farm Bill contained three key provisions that will impact millions of animal lives and Sen. Stabenow backed all of them: The Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act that provides critical protections for pets of domestic violence victims and establishes a grant program to allow more shelters to accommodate pets, the Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act that prevents dogs and cats from being slaughtered for human consumption in the U.S., and the Parity in Animal Cruelty Enforcement (PACE) Act that restricts animal fighting in the U.S. Territories. I especially applaud Sen. Stabenow’s tremendous efforts to ensure the PAWS Act provision was included in the bill. The final Farm Bill also jettisoned the dangerous King Amendment that would have upended many state agriculture and animal protection laws, and we are grateful she led the effort to remove it. Sen. Stabenow deserves credit for working to get bipartisan legislation done that helps agriculture and advances animal welfare.

Holly Gann

Director of Federal Affairs

Animal Wellness Action

Washington DC