Tenure: 106th–119th Congresses (House service: 97th–105th Congresses)
Years of Service: 1999–Present
Notable Actions
119th Congress
✅ Cosponsor of the Puppy Protection Act, S. 4437, bipartisan legislation to strengthen federal standards of care for dogs kept by commercial breeders by improving requirements for housing, veterinary care, exercise, socialization, and humane breeding practices.
✅ Voted “Nay” on S.J. Res. 23 (Senate Roll Call Vote 122), a Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn federal regulations strengthening implementation of the Endangered Species Act, including protections governing the listing of imperiled species and designation of critical habitat. A “Nay” vote is the pro-animal position because it supported retaining stronger federal protections for threatened and endangered wildlife and their habitat.
❌ Voted “Nay” on the motion to proceed to S.J. Res. 69 (Senate Roll Call Vote 597), a joint resolution under the Congressional Review Act to bring the measure before the Senate for consideration to overturn the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Barred Owl Management Strategy, which authorized the large-scale killing of barred owls in Washington, Oregon, and California. A “Nay” vote is the anti-animal position because it opposed moving forward with a vote to repeal the barred owl kill plan.
118th Congress
✅ Lead cosponsor of the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, S. 4004, to end the failed system of industry self-policing under the Horse Protection Act by banning devices associated with horse soring, increasing penalties for violators, and strengthening USDA enforcement to protect Tennessee Walking Horses and related breeds from intentional abuse used to exaggerate their gait in competitions.
117th Congress
✅ Lead cosponsor of the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, S. 2295, to crack down on the cruel practice of soring, in which trainers inflict severe pain on the hooves and legs of Tennessee walking horses and related breeds to force them to perform an unnaturally high-stepping gait for competitions.
✅ Approved by unanimous consent, the Big Cat Public Safety Act, H.R. 263, to prohibit most private ownership and breeding of lions, tigers, and other big cats while restricting public contact with these dangerous wild animals. The law was designed to curb the exploitation of big cats in roadside zoos and cub-petting operations, improve animal welfare, and enhance public safety by limiting private possession of these species.
✅ Voted “Nay” on Sen. Ron Johnson’s Motion to Instruct conferees on H.R. 4521 (Senate Roll Call Vote 152), which sought to reject a House-passed provision prohibiting commercial mink farming in the United States. A “Nay” vote is the pro-animal position because it supported retaining the House provision to end commercial mink farming.
116th Congress
✅ Cosponsor of the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act, S. 877, to end the U.S. commercial trade in shark fins by prohibiting their sale, purchase, and transport, helping reduce the global demand that drives the cruel practice of shark finning. Core provisions of the bill were later incorporated into the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, which was signed into law in December 2022, making the United States one of the world’s largest nations to ban the domestic shark fin trade.
✅ Cosponsor of Horseracing Integrity Act, S. 1820, to address widespread doping—a key contributing factor in frequent horse fatalities on American racetracks—by banning race-day medication, increasing out-of-competition testing and establishing uniform national rules governing use of drugs in racehorses.
✅ Cosponsor of the Rescuing Animals With Rewards (RAWR) Act, S. 1590, to combat international wildlife trafficking by authorizing rewards for information leading to the disruption and prosecution of transnational wildlife trafficking networks.
✅ Cosponsor of the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, S. 1007, to crack down on the cruel practice of “soring,” in which trainers deliberately inflict severe pain on the hooves and legs of Tennessee walking horses and related breeds to force them to perform an unnaturally high- stepping gait for competitions.
✅ Approved by unanimous consent the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, landmark legislation making the most egregious acts of intentional animal cruelty—including crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating, impaling, and other forms of torture—a federal felony when committed in interstate commerce, on federal property, or within federal jurisdiction. The measure strengthened the nation’s legal framework against animal cruelty and closed a longstanding gap in federal law by ensuring that the worst acts of animal abuse could be prosecuted even when state or local authorities could not act. The Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent.
115th Congress
✅ Cosponsor of the Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act, S. 322, which expands current federal domestic violence protections to include pets and authorizes grant money to help domestic violence shelters and other entities arrange shelter for survivors with pets.
✅ Cosponsor of the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, S. 1706, to protect horses and consumers by prohibiting the transport and export of U.S. horses to slaughter for human consumption. American horses are not raised for food and are routinely given drugs that can be toxic to people if ingested. Horse slaughter is cruel, and the U.S. public overwhelmingly opposes it.
✅ Approved by unanimous consent the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, S. 654, bipartisan legislation to make the most egregious acts of intentional animal cruelty—including crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating, impaling, and other forms of torture—a federal felony when committed in interstate or foreign commerce or within federal jurisdiction. The Senate passed the legislation by unanimous consent in December 2017.
✅ Voted “Nay” on H.J. Res. 69, a Congressional Review Act (Senate Roll Call Vote 92) resolution to overturn an Obama administration rule prohibiting killing bear cubs and wolf pups in their dens, baiting bears with food to shoot them at close range, and aerial shooting of wolves and other predators. The resolution passed the Senate 52–47. A “Nay” vote is the pro-animal position because it sought to retain the rule forbidding these inhumane and unsporting predator-killing practices on national wildlife refuges in Alaska.
✅ Voted “Yea” on the conference report for the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Farm Bill), H.R. 2 (Senate Roll Call Vote 259), which included major animal-protection provisions prohibiting dog and cat meat consumption, extending the federal animal-fighting prohibition to all U.S. territories, and providing protections for domestic-violence survivors and their pets. The final bill also excluded the House-passed King Amendment, which threatened state animal-welfare laws. The Senate approved the Farm Bill 87–13.
114th Congress
✅ Cosponsor of the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, S. 1831, to make extreme acts of intentional animal cruelty a federal crime when committed in interstate or foreign commerce or within federal jurisdiction.
✅ Cosponsor of the Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act, S. 1559, which expands current federal domestic violence protections to include pets and authorizes grant money to help domestic violence shelters and other entities arrange shelter for survivors with pets.
✅ Cosponsor of the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, S. 1214, to protect horses and consumers by prohibiting the transport and export of U.S. horses to slaughter for human consumption. American horses are not raised for food and are routinely given drugs that can be toxic to people if ingested. Horse slaughter is cruel, and the U.S. public overwhelmingly opposes it.
✅ Cosponsor of the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, S. 1121, to crack down on the cruel practice of “soring,” in which trainers deliberately inflict pain on the hooves and legs of Tennessee walking horses and related breeds to force them to perform an unnaturally high-stepping gait for competitions.
113th Congress
✅ Cosponsor of the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, S. 541, to protect horses and consumers by prohibiting the transport and export of U.S. horses to slaughter for human consumption. American horses are not raised for food and are routinely given drugs that can be toxic to people if ingested. Horse slaughter is cruel, and the U.S. public overwhelmingly opposes it.
✅ Cosponsor of the Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety (PUPS) Act, S. 395, to strengthen federal oversight of large-scale commercial dog breeders, including online puppy sellers, and require humane standards for housing and daily exercise.
✅ Cosponsor of the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, S. 1406, to crack down on the cruel practice of “soring,” in which trainers deliberately inflict pain on the hooves and legs of Tennessee walking horses and related breeds to force them to perform an unnaturally high-stepping gait for competitions.
112th Congress
✅ Cosponsor of the Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety (PUPS) Act, S. 707, to strengthen federal oversight of large-scale commercial dog breeders, including online puppy sellers, and require humane standards for housing and daily exercise of dogs.
✅ Cosponsor of the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments, S. 3239, to establish federal housing and welfare standards for egg-laying hens and transition the egg industry away from conventional barren battery cages.
✅ Lead cosponsor of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, S. 1176, to prohibit the slaughter of horses for human consumption in the United States and the transport or export of American horses for slaughter abroad.
✅ Voted “Aye” on the Vitter Amendment (S. Amdt. 2363) to the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2012, S. 3240 (Senate Roll Call Vote 154). The Vitter amendment makes it a federal crime to attend or bring a minor to an animal fighting venture. It passed 88–11. An “Aye” vote is the pro-animal position forbidding attendance at staged animal fights.
111th Congress
✅ Cosponsor of the Truth in Fur Labeling Act (S. 1076) to strengthen consumer transparency by requiring all real fur products to be accurately labeled, eliminating an exemption that allowed small amounts of fur to go undisclosed. The bill also corrected misleading labeling by requiring “Asiatic Raccoon” fur to be identified as “Raccoon Dog,” helping consumers make informed purchasing decisions and reducing deceptive marketing practices.
✅ Approved by unanimous consent the Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act, H.R. 5566, to prohibit the creation and interstate distribution of obscene animal-crush videos depicting intentional acts of extreme animal cruelty. The legislation was enacted as Public Law 111-294. The Senate initially passed H.R. 5566 with an amendment by unanimous consent and later agreed to the House amendment by unanimous consent.
✅ Voted “Nay” on Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Amendment (S.Amdt. 599) to H.R. 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 (Senate Roll Call Vote 82). The amendment sought to preserve a Bush administration rule that weakened Endangered Species Act protections by limiting independent scientific review of federal agency actions affecting threatened and endangered wildlife. The amendment was rejected, allowing the Obama administration to restore stronger Endangered Species Act safeguards. A “Nay” vote was the pro-animal position because it opposed the amendment and supported restoring stronger protections and independent scientific review.
110th Congress
✅ Cosponsor of the Pet Safety and Protection Act (S. 714) to prohibit federally licensed research facilities from obtaining dogs and cats from random-source Class B dealers, helping prevent the theft of family pets and ending the use of animals acquired through auctions, fraudulent “free to good home” advertisements, and other unreliable sources for biomedical research.
109th Congress
✅ Approved by unanimous consent the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act, H.R. 3858, requiring state and local emergency preparedness plans to account for the rescue, care, shelter, and evacuation needs of people with household pets and service animals during disasters. The Senate passed the measure with an amendment by unanimous consent on August 4, 2006, and it became law.
❌ Voted “Nay” on the Ensign Horse Slaughter Amendment (Senate Roll Call Vote 237) to the FY2006 Agriculture Appropriations bill, which sought to prohibit federal funding for USDA inspections of horses slaughtered for human consumption. The Senate approved the amendment by a bipartisan vote of 69–28. A “Nay” vote was the anti-animal position because it opposed an effort to protect American horses from slaughter for human consumption.
106th Congress
✅ Voted “Nay” on the motion to table the Torricelli Amendment (S.Amdt. 1571) to H.R. 2466, the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY2000 (Senate Roll Call Vote 268). The amendment would have prohibited the use of steel-jawed leghold traps and neck snares in units of the National Wildlife Refuge System, except for limited research, subsistence, conservation, and facilities protection purposes. This vote supported banning inhumane trapping methods on national wildlife refuges and strengthening protections for wildlife on federal lands.