Just Because Congress Is Taking a Break Doesn’t Mean We Can!

Dear Humanitarian:

Members of the U.S. Congress return home for the month of August to meet with constituents and hold town hall meetings so they can better understand what is happening in their districts. This is a key time for you to take direct action on the important animal protection bills currently before Congress. AWI is constantly advocating for these issues in Washington, D.C., and you often ask us what you can do in addition to writing letters and calling your legislators.

Well, this is it. Our elected officials need to hear in-person from their constituents – including you! They need to realize how important these issues are to you, your family and friends. AWI is asking you to take some time to set up a one-on-one meeting in your legislators’ district offices and attend town hall meetings to bring these concerns to the attention of your U.S. Senators and Representative while they are back home.

While there are many important animal protection bills pending before Congress, AWI is asking in particular that you address the tragic plight facing America’s wild horses, as well as the need to end horse slaughter through passage of the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503 and S. 727). There is broad bipartisan support for corrective action in support of the horses, but legislation has not yet been put before the full House and Senate. It is critical that Congress take action before the end of the year.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Please call the district offices of your U.S. Representative and both U.S. Senators and:

1) Request a face-to-face meeting with both Senators and your Representative to discuss these two important issues;

2) Ask them for specific dates of town hall meetings or open events that constituents can attend. To find their contact information, please visit AWI’s Compassion Index.

• To help with your meetings, AWI has prepared a one-page fact sheet on wild horses that contains four important requests for Congress, as well as facts and myths about the wild horse program to share with your elected officials. For more information, please visit www.awionline.org/wildhorses.
• Please ask them to help end horse slaughter by supporting the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503/S. 727). This bipartisan bill is still pending in both the House and Senate. If your legislators are already co-sponsors, thank them and ask them to urge the Speaker (House) or Majority Leader (Senate) to bring this to the floor for a vote. If they have not co-sponsored, ask them to do so when they return to Washington, D.C. You can find your legislators’ positions on these bills at AWI’s Compassion Index. For more information, please visit www.awionline.org/horseslaughter.

Once you have gathered details on any town hall meetings please email AWI (chris@awionline.org) with this information so we can compile a list for others who might be interested in attending.

Please share this “Dear Humanitarian” eAlert with friends, family and coworkers and encourage them to set up meetings and speak out for the horses. As always, we are grateful for your help.

Sincerely,
Cathy Liss
President

Animal Welfare Institute
900 Pennsylvania Ave., SE • Washington, DC 20003
(202) 337-2332 (main)
awi@awionline.org

Tags: Animal Welfare Institute, AWI, Equine Protection, Horse Care, horse slaughter, Mustangs, wild horses

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