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Help strengthen enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act

Help strengthen enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act

Name of Bill: Better Collaboration, Accountability, and Regulatory Enforcement (CARE) for Animals Act

Bill Number: N/A

Animal Welfare Act In May we celebrated the one-year anniversary of the Department of Justice (DOJ) filing a lawsuit against Envigo, a beagle breeding facility that sold dogs to research laboratories. The lawsuit detailed shocking violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), including the death of more than 300 puppies from “unknown causes.” Ultimately, Envigo settled with the DOJ and agreed to transfer roughly 4,000 beagles to animal adoption organizations.

While the outcome was celebrated by animal welfare activists across the country, it should not have taken so long for the beagles to get justice. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) had documented numerous violations at the facility during multiple inspections with zero enforcement actions taken. If a law is only as strong as its enforcement, the AWA is essentially fictional. For years, animal use entities like Envigo have been able to regularly violate the AWA with little or no punishment.

We can change that with the passage of the Better Collaboration, Accountability, and Regulatory Enforcement (CARE) for Animals Act. This act will give the Department of Justice the tools necessary to better collaborate with the USDA to enforce the AWA. By allowing the DOJ to step in earlier, we can save the lives of more animals and relieve their suffering.

Calls to Action:

  1. Please contact your U.S. senator and representative and urge them to cosponsor this bill.
  2. Spread the word! Share this page with your social network.

Recipients

  • Your Senators
  • Your Representative

Contact

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Message

Please cosponsor the Better CARE for Animals Act

Dear [Decision Maker],

I am writing as a constituent to ask for your SUPPORT of the Better Collaboration, Accountability, and Regulatory Enforcement (CARE) for Animals Act. This bill, which has been introduced in the House and Senate with bipartisan support, will give the Department of Justice (DOJ) the tools necessary to better collaborate with the USDA to enforce the Animal Welfare Act (AWA).

The AWA requires research facilities, puppy mills, animal exhibitors, and other non-agriculture, animal use industries to meet basic animal care standards. The law is meant to provide minimal protection to roughly two million animals every year.

Unfortunately, as evidenced by numerous news stories and the USDA's own Office of the Inspector General reports, the USDA regularly fails to protect animals from inhumane care and treatment. Violators of the AWA rarely face enforcement actions and are able to continue operations, even when animals have repeatedly been found sick, in distress, and even dead.

One reason many AWA violators go unpunished is that there are just three administrative law judges for the USDA. Too few enforcement actions are able to go through the system each year. The Better CARE for Animal Act would help rectify this by requiring a memorandum of understanding between the USDA and DOJ to encourage greater collaboration and ensure that the DOJ has access to evidence on AWA violators. It would also provide the DOJ with more enforcement remedies by authorizing it to seek license revocations, civil penalties, and the seizure and removal of suffering animals.

The Better CARE for Animals Act will ultimately provide improved protections for millions of animals by increasing enforcement possibilities. I hope that you will cosponsor this important bill.

Thank you for your consideration,

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]