Animal Welfare
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) and Memphis officials will hold a press availability on Tuesday, October 31, to discuss the $3 million in federal Community Project funding the congressman secured for the Overton Park-Memphis Zoo Parking Solution Initiative.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), a longtime advocate for ending the practice of horse soring – the intentional injury to horse legs to produce an exaggerated gait called the “Big Lick” – today applauded the U.S.
WASHINGTON -- Representatives Steve Cohen (TN-9), Dina Titus (NV-01) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) today re-introduced the Horse Transportation Safety Act that would ban the transportation of horses across state lines in “double decker” trucks or trailers containing two or more levels on top of one another.
WASHINGTON -- Congressmen Steve Cohen (TN-9), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Vern Buchanan (FL-16) and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) have introduced the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act to ban the harmful practice of “soring” horses. The legislation is endorsed by the Humane Society Legislative Fund.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a longtime member of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, has once again received a “100 +” on the Humane Society of the United States 2022 legislative scorecard. The recognition accounts for Congressman Cohen’s actions, including critical votes, advancing the humane treatment of animals.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a longtime member of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, today introduced the Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Farm Animals Act. The legislation would institute commonsense reforms aimed at mitigating losses and promoting fiscal responsibility by ensuring that recipients of payments under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Livestock Indemnity and Emergency Loan Programs have disaster preparedness plans in place.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a longtime member of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, who received the Humane Society of the United States’ “Humane Horseman of the Year” award in June, today applauded House passage of his Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act to prevent the intentional injury to horses’ feet and legs to produce the artificial gait known as “The Big Lick” in horse show competitions. Congressman Cohen has been part of the leadership team of this bill since its first introduction.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), who has championed efforts to protect horses for decades, today applauded the Energy and Commerce Committee’s markup and advancement of his Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act to prohibit the intentional injury to the hooves and legs of performance walking horses such as Tennessee's iconic walking horses. His bill passed out of the committee markup and was reported to the full House of Representatives with a bipartisan vote of 46 to 9.
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) led a bipartisan letter with Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) and Vern Buchanan (FL-16) to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Thomas Vilsack asking him "to vigorously enforce the Horse Protection Act" as the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration begins on August 24 in Shelbyville, Tennessee.
The letter reads in part:
How we treat animals is a direct reflection of our character — both as individuals and as a nation. Throughout his career, Congressman Cohen has worked to strengthen animal protection laws, promote the humane treatment of animals, and defend our nation’s wildlife.
As a proud member of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, Congressman Cohen has consistently received a 100% rating from the Humane Society of the United States and Defenders of Wildlife for his voting record in Congress.