With your support, we were able to continue our accomplishments for the animals in 2023. Most noteworthy, we achieved great success in dramatically increasing enforcement of the federal Animal Welfare Act, which protects not only dogs in puppy mills and cats in commercial breeding facilities but all animals used in research, for exhibition purposes, animals in zoos, and other various animal industries.
Through our legal actions and lobbying efforts in Washington D. C., the USDA has been ordered to cease covering up violations at animal facilities and to immediately begin citing all abuses discovered at USDA-licensed breeders, researchers, and animal exhibitors.
We are most excited about the subsequent resignation of the top officials at the USDA who oversaw the enforcement of the federal Animal Welfare Act and repeatedly ignored incidences of abuse and neglect of animals. This achievement is largely due to our lobbying efforts with Congress and our successful lawsuit against the USDA.
And once again, the Alliance was the driving force in protecting the animals at our state Capitol during this year’s legislative session. We are pleased to report that we successfully defeated legislation that would have eliminated or severely restricted our disposition process for abused and neglected animals, oftentimes resulting in these animals being left in the hands of their abusers.
We are also pleased to have successfully stopped several bills that were intended to prohibit municipalities from banning the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores. Petland was relentless in its efforts to protect inhumane puppy mills and the stores’ unethical practice of selling dogs and cats in pet stores. As a result of defeating this legislation, we have since been able to stop multiple attempts by pet stores that acquire puppies from puppy mills from opening up in Missouri.
We are especially elated to have defeated SB 115, which would have overturned St. Louis City’s and St. Louis County’s ordinances prohibiting cat declawing. This legislation passed the Senate, which was extremely alarming since the Senate is usually where we can defeat harmful animal bills. Thankfully, we were able to prevent it from being voted on in the House. If passed, it would have detrimental effects not just for cats in the St. Louis area, but due to its broad language, it would weaken protections for all animals across the state.
Please help us to continue our important work for the animals. It is imperative that the animals have a voice with our lawmakers and government officials. We have achieved monumental progress for the animals over the past three decades, especially toward our goal of ending puppy mill cruelty in Missouri. This has only been accomplished because the animals had a presence at the Capitol.
Please consider being a Voice for the Animals. You can show your support for the animals in the upcoming Legislative session by contacting us and letting us know how many days, or even a week, that you are willing to sponsor.
We offer the option of sponsoring a day (or two or three) at $100 per day of the session or an entire week for $500. I hope this will enable you to support this important campaign at a financial level that is suitable for you.
Those who elect to sponsor a full week of the session will receive personal periodic updates describing the legislative activities in Jefferson City and our efforts on federal animal legislation. This is a great way for you to become personally involved without having to travel to the Capitol!
Please help us to continue to be the Voice for the Animals with our government officials!
