WASHINGTON – Congressman Vern Buchanan, a national leader on animal protection issues, earned a 100 percent rating in the U.S. Humane Society‘s just-released 2020 legislative scorecard.
Buchanan was one of only six Republicans in the entire 535-member Congress to score 100 percent. The Humane Society designated Buchanan a “leader” for introducing key legislation protecting animals.
“I’m grateful for the recognition by one of the nation’s leading animal welfare groups,” Buchanan said. “Preventing animal cruelty and protecting threatened wildlife should be bipartisan issues that we can all support.”
The Humane Society scorecard is based not just on voting records, but on leadership efforts on key animal welfare priorities.
In June, the Humane Society of the United States named Buchanan “Legislator of the Year,” making him the only member of the U.S. House ever to win the prestigious award twice. He was the first member of Congress from Florida to win the honor in 2015. The Humane Society called Buchanan “a tireless champion for animals.”
In 2019, Buchanan earned a perfect score from the U.S. Humane Society.
Buchanan is a leading advocate for protecting endangered species and ending animal cruelty, introducing and co-sponsoring dozens of important animal measures. Earlier this year he introduced an amendment to protect endangered African lions and elephants by banning the importation of their dead carcasses into the United States. Additionally, Buchanan joined with two Democrats to introduce bipartisan legislation to ban the transport of horses to slaughterhouses in Mexico and end painful cosmetic testing on animals.
Last year, a bipartisan bill Buchanan led criminalizing heinous acts of animal cruelty was signed into law.
The list of issues highlighted in the Humane Society scorecard include:
Introduced Humane Cosmetics Act, H.R. 5141 - prohibits the sale or transport of cosmetics if any component of the final product was developed or manufactured using animal testing.
Co-sponsored Puppy Protection Act, H.R. 2422 – increases care standards for dogs throughout the United States including strong requirements for veterinary care, housing and socialization of dogs.
Co-sponsored Providing Responsible Emergency Plans for Animals at Risk of Emerging Disasters (PREPARED) Act, H.R. 1042 – requires aquariums, zoos, research facilities and other animal care organizations have contingency plans in place to safely evacuate and care for animals in an emergency or disaster.
Introduced Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, H.R. 961 – permanently bans the shipment of horses to slaughterhouses in Mexico and Canada for overseas export to countries like Japan where horse meat is considered a delicacy.
Co-sponsored Horseracing Integrity Act, H.R. 1754 – bans race-day medication and establishes uniform national rules governing use of drugs in racehorses. Jockeys and horses are injured and killed at unacceptably high rates when they are thrown from horses pumped with illegal drugs.
