Hot Legislative Issues

 

HOT ISSUES FOR THE SECOND SESSION
OF THE 105TH CONGRESS

Several issues are already on track for consideration in the second (current) session of the 105th Congress.  Below you will find a brief overview of some of them.

FAST-TRACK TRADE AUTHORITY

President Clinton and a wide range of lawmakers will continue to push for legislation that would renew the president's fast-track authority for trade legislation. Such fast-track authority would require Congress to vote for or against legislation implementing a trade agreement without adding amendments to it -- a process that the president considers critical to convincing foreign leaders to make trade agreements with the United States.

In light of the negative developments in U.S. environmental and humane laws following the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) -- both enacted under fast track -- The HSUS strongly opposes renewing the president's fast-track authority. GATT and NAFTA have already allowed other countries to accuse the United States of imposing unfair trade barriers. One example is the recent change in dolphin-safe tuna labeling brought about by pressure from Mexico and other Latin American countries.

The United States should not adopt trade agreements that allow other countries to challenge our domestic policy or allow the degradation of our animal-protection and environmental laws.

REAUTHORIZING THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT

The reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has been postponed year after year. Late in 1997, Sen. Dirk Kempthorne's (R-ID) bipartisan bill, S. 1180, sped through the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. It could come to the Senate floor at any time.

The HSUS and many other animal-protection and environmental organizations oppose S. 1180. This bill weakens the ESA by allowing wholesale exemptions, reduced oversight of federal actions by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, preferential treatment for industry, and a taxpayer subsidy of habitat destruction. In short, it erodes species protection. The business community and the Clinton administration, among other groups, support S. 1180. The HSUS supports Rep. George Miller's (D-CA) H.R. 2351, which requires the development of recovery plans and provides landowner incentives that don't undermine habitat protection.

ANIMAL DAMAGE CONTROL

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal Damage Control (ADC) program, funded under the Agriculture Appropriations bill, spends millions of dollars each year to kill predators in the western United States to benefit sheep and cattle ranchers. Despite a congressional directive to use the increasingly available nonlethal methods, ADC agents' tools of choice are the steel-jaw leghold trap, firearms, cyanide, and poison gas. Agents kill primarily as a preventative measure rather than to eliminate individual "problem" animals. The HSUS opposes funding the ADC's western predator-killing activities at the current level. We will seek to cut funding of this portion of the program by roughly $10 million. Funding for eastern BLM operations would remain the same.

CANNED HUNTING

H.R. 1202 and S. 995, the Captive Exotic Animal Protection Act, target the trophy hunting of tame, exotic animals in enclosed areas -- a practice known as canned hunting. Similar legislation in the House received a hearing in a House subcommittee in the 104th Congress and obtained more than 125 cosponsors. The HSUS hopes to build on that support.

BEAR PROTECTION

H.R. 619 and S. 263, the Bear Protection Act, would ban the sale, export, import, and interstate commerce in bear viscera and products containing or claiming to contain them and would improve the tracking of illegal commercial activity in bear viscera. It would also direct the U.S. trade representative and the secretary of the interior to discuss trade in bear viscera with representatives from leading trading nations. The market demand for bear viscera in East Asia is increasing, and H.R. 619 and S. 263 would help put an end to bear poaching in the United States to supply this market.

DOWNED ANIMALS

H.R. 453 and S. 850, the Downed Animal Protection Act, would prohibit stockyard owners, market agencies, or dealers from transferring to or marketing at livestock markets downed animals -- farm animals who, because of injury or illness, are unable to stand or walk without assistance -- and would ban downed-animal cruelties at stockyards nationwide. Currently, no federal law protects downed animals at stockyards.

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© 1997 The HSUS. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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