Washington, D.C. – Animal Wellness Action announced its endorsement of U.S. Senator Alex Padilla of Illinois for his consistent support of animal welfare in Congress.
In addition to supporting a broad range of policies to help animals in the Congress, Padilla signaled his opposition to efforts in the Congress to overturn California’s Proposition 12 and other state laws that restrict cruelty tied to commerce. Voters approved that ballot measure in November 2018 to restrict extreme confinement of certain farm animals and also to bar sale of pork or eggs that come from animals in extreme confinement, and it’s been under attack by the pork industry. The courts have rejected a series of legal challenges, but there is one additional challenge pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. Padilla has signaled his opposition to legislation in Congress to over that ballot measure and countless other state legislative acts that have a touch with interstate commerce.
“Senator Padilla has shown his resolve to fight animal cruelty in his two years in the Senate,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action. “Californians should elect him to a full term.”
- Halting Needless Animal Testing. Senator Padilla is a cosponsor of the FDA Modernization Act to stop needless, costly, and inhumane animal testing. The measure would end an animal testing mandate for all new drug development protocols and allow for alternative methods when validated, helping reduce drug costs and time to market for palliatives and cures. That legislation is poised to pass this Congress.
- Fighting Shark Finning. The Senator has cosponsored the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act to ban the trade in the fins of sharks destined for soup pots. This bipartisan legislation has cleared the Senate as an amendment to a larger legislative package and stands a chance of enactment before year’s end.
- Combatting Horse Soring. He is an original cosponsor of the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act and voted in support of the measure in July of 2019 that would end one of the most egregious abuses in the equine show world, the painful practice of ‘soring’ Tennessee Walking Horses.
- Halting the Trade in Big Cats as Pets. He is also a cosponsor of the Big Cat Public Safety Act to halt the breeding and trade in captive big cats for use as pets or as props in commercial cub petting operations. The companion bill, led by Illinois Congressman Mike Quigley, passed the House in July and is pending in the Senate.