Tenure: 97th–119th Congresses (House service: 94th–96th Congresses)
Years of Service: 1981–Present
Notable Actions
119th Congress
❌ Voted “Yea” 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 “Yea” vote is the anti-animal position because it supported eliminating stronger protections for threatened and endangered wildlife and their habitat.
✅ Voted “Aye” 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. An “Aye” vote is the pro-animal position because it supported moving forward with a vote to repeal the barred owl kill plan.
117th Congress
✅ 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 “Yea” 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 “Yea” vote is the anti-animal position because it supported removing the House provision to end commercial mink farming.
116th Congress
✅ 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
✅ 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 “Aye” 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. An “Aye” vote is the anti-animal position because it repealed the rule protecting wildlife from these inhumane and unsporting predator-killing practices on national wildlife refuges in Alaska.
❌ Voted “Nay” 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.
112th Congress
✅ 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
✅ 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 “Yea” on Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Amendment (S.Amdt. 599) 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 “Yea” vote was the anti-animal position because it supported retaining weaker Endangered Species Act protections and reducing independent scientific oversight of actions affecting threatened and endangered species.
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 “Yea” on the Ensign Horse Slaughter Amendment (Senate Roll Call Vote 237) to the FY2006 Agriculture Appropriations bill, prohibiting federal funds from being used for USDA inspections of horses slaughtered for human consumption. The Senate approved the amendment by a bipartisan vote of 69–28. A “Yea” vote was the pro-animal position because it supported protecting American horses from slaughter for human consumption.
106th Congress
❌ Voted “Yea” 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 management purposes. This vote defeated the amendment and allowed the continued use of these inhumane trapping methods on national wildlife refuges.