State and Federal Legislation
111th U.S. Congress (2009—2010)
| DATE | VENUE | ACTIVITY | RESULT |
| January 2010 | Missouri | Jim Viebrock, R-Republic, sponsors H.B. 1747, aimed at bypassing a federal ban on meat inspectors working in horse slaughtering plants by getting processors to pay for the inspections. | Inconclusive. |
| January 2010 | South Dakota | Jan 14: H.C.R No. 1003 — SD State House of Representatives urges U.S. Congress and the USDA to reinstate and fully fund USDA’s inspection program for horse euthanasia and horse slaughter facilities. | H.C.R. 1003 passes Jan. 22, 2010. |
| January 2010 | Canada – EU | Canada to comply with tight new regulations imposed by the EU requiring documentation of medications received by horses bound for slaughter. Aimed at eliminating toxic horsemeat consumed in European countries. | Effective 31 July, 2010. |
| February 2010 | California | Feb 10: Bill SJR is introduced to memorialize Congress to support federal legislation to protect American horses from slaughter for human consumption. | Success. |
| February 2010 | Idaho | Feb 15: S.J.M 104 is introduced to the senate urging Congress to oppose federal legislation that interferes with a state’s ability to direct the transport or processing of horses. | Idaho joins other states opposing federal bill H.R. 503. |
| March 2010 | South Dakota | March 02: South Dakota passes Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4 (S.C.R 4) urging the reinstatement and funding of federal inspection programs governing equine slaughter and processing facilities. Resolution also urges Congress to defeat HR503/SB 727. | Inconclusive. |
| March 2010 | Minnesota | Mar 08: Bill SF0133, urging Congress to oppose federal legislation interfering with a state’s ability to direct the transport or processing of horses passed by Committee and goes into second reading | Minnesota joins other states opposing federal bill H.R. 503. |
| March 2010 | Wyoming | Mar 09: Wyoming Gov. Freudenthal signs H.B. 122 into law. Sponsored by Sue “Slaughterhouse” Wallis, the law allows State livestock authorities to slaughter abandoned horses and sell their meat to prisons and other State institutions. | The slaughter of horses becomes legal in Wyoming. |
| March 2010 | Illinois | Mar 11: State Representative Jim Sacia (R – Freeport) pulls bill H.B. 583 to legalize horse slaughter from the agenda for this legislative session due to lack of support. | No support to return horse slaughter to Illinois. |
| March 2010 | Idaho | Mar 18: S.B 1316, sponsored by Rep.Carlos Bilbao And Rep. Tom Trail passes in the House. This new law exempts the slaughter of horses from animal cruelty laws. | Voted 59-1 in favor. |
| April 2010 | Missouri | Apr 01: Missouri House passes H.B. 1747 (now S.B. 795), sponsored by Rep. Jim Viebrock, designed to allow the slaughter of horses for human consumption. | Voted 91-61 in favor. |
| April 2010 | 111th Congress 2nd Session | April 02: The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act is re-introduced in the House as H.R. 503 by Reps. John Conyers (D-MI) and Dan Burton (R-IN). Senate version introduced by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) as S.B. 727. | See December 2010. |
| April 2010 | Tennessee | Apr 07: After stalling in 2009, State Rep. Frank S. Niceley’s pro-horse slaughter bill, H.B. 1428 as amended, (S.B. 1898 in the Tennessee Senate) is once again advancing in the legislature. | The bill as amended would establish a program for the “licensure, licensure renewal, permitting, inspection, and regulation of equine slaughter and processing facilities in Tennessee.” |
| April 2010 | Kentucky | Apr 14: Gov. Steve Beshear signs H.B. 398 into law. | The fast tracked new law creates a board named for the openly pro-horse slaughter organization, Equine Health and Welfare Alliance. |
| April 2010 | Tennessee | Apr 27: H.B. 1428 withdrawn by Niceley following a hearing before the full House Finance, Ways and Means. | This type of legislation is dead for the current session. |
| May 2010 | Missouri | May 05: HB 1747, a bill that would establish horse slaughter plant operations and meat inspection regulations was tabled in a Senate committee. However, language from that bill was later incorporated into SB 795, an omnibus agriculture bill. Members of a joint House and Senate Conference Committee later stripped the horse processing language from that bill. | See Missouri, May 10th. |
| May 2010 | Tennessee | May 06: Tennessee Speaker Kent Williams makes the motion to send H.B.1428 to summer study in Finance, Ways and Means. | To be determined. |
| May 2010 | Colorado | May 07: Colorado House of Representatives approves S.B. 139 allowing taxpayers to donate a portion of their tax dollars to the pro-slaughter Colorado Unwanted Horse Alliance. | Voted 42-23 in favor. |
| May 2010 | Missouri | May 10: The pro-horse slaughter provisions from Missouri H.B. 1747, which were sneakily buried in an unrelated bill (S.B. 795) found NOT withdrawn or removed by amendment on May 5 as previously reported. | Sen. Dan Clemens said there would be no further legislative progress on H.B. 1747. |
| May 2010 | Missouri | May 14: Missouri’s 2010 legislative session ends with H.B. 1747 still in the Senate Agriculture Committee—meaning that the bill is dead. Pro-horse slaughter provisions from the bill, buried in S.B. 795, are removed by conference committee. | Horse slaughter legislation is off the table. |
| May 2010 | Florida | May 14: H.B. 765 is signed into law by Gov. Charlie Crist. HB 765 prohibits the mutilation or killing of any horse, and forbids the transport, distribution, sale, and purchase of horsemeat for human consumption. Violators face felony mandatory minimum penalties of $3,500 in fines and one year in prison, and maximum penalties of five years in prison and $5,000 in fines for each offense. | The new law responds directly to a series of horse poaching incidents in south Florida, where the butchered remains of more than 22 horses were discovered in Miami-Dade and Broward counties last year.
NOTE: This new law however does not apply to the slaughter of horses for human consumption in a licensed slaughterhouse. Neither does it bar the sale of horse meat if it is properly packaged, labeled etc as set forth in the new law. Please see West’s F. S. A. § 500.451 (Summary). |
| May 2010 | Colorado | May 28: The Colorado state senate concurred in House amendments to S.B. 139, and Gov. Bill Ritter has signed it into law. The bill would allow taxpayers to check on their tax return that a portion of their tax dollars should go to the Colorado Unwanted Horse Alliance, a pro-slaughter organization. | Signed into law. |
| May 2010 | Kentucky | H.C.R. 347 – opposing H.R. 503 /S 727 – introduced by Rep. Johnny Bell, fails to pass this session. | Success. |
| June 2010 | Canada – B.C. | Jun 16: Member of Parliament (MP) Alex Atamanenko tables [introduces] Bill C-544 which would amend the Canadian Health of Animals Act and the Meat inspection Act to prohibit the importation or exportation of (a) horses for slaughter for human consumption and; (b) horse meat products for human consumption. | First ever legislation banning horse slaughter is introduced in Canada. |
| July 2010 | 111th Congress 2nd Session | Jul 28: The House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure passes H.R. 305 by voice vote. Introduced at the start of the 111th Congress. H.R. 305, known as the Horse Transportation Safety Act, would ban the use of double decked trailers for all horse transport. | H.R. 305 passes House Committee by voice vote. |
| July 2010 | Canada – EU | Jul 31: The European Union (EU), FDA and CFIA mandatory regulations go into effect. | Makes it illegal to slaughter horses for human consumption who have ever received prohibited substances producing toxins in horse meat. |
| August 2010 | California | Aug 2: Bill SJR 22 is amended in assembly. This measure would memorialize the Congress to support federal legislation to protect American horses from slaughter for human consumption. | Adopted in the Senate on Aug 25. |
| October 2010 | Office of Inspector General, USDA | OIG releases audit revealing that USDA and APHIS have created substantial risk of injury to the public and caused significant injury, suffering and death to horses from failure to enforce standards for conveyance of horses to slaughter pursuant to 9 C.F.R. 88.3 and 88.4. | OIG advises several recommendations but no formal action taken. |
| December 2010 | 111th Congress 2nd Session | Federal legislation to ban horse slaughter, H.R. 503 / S 727, fail due to lack of promotion. H.R. 503 had 190 co-sponsors; S 727 had 28 co-sponsors. | H.R. 503 /S. 727 languish and die in committee from neglect. |
Fund for Horses 