Two animal welfare bills championed by AWI were among the first introduced in the 118th Congress. HR 208, the Pet Safety and Protection Act (PSPA), was introduced by long-time sponsor Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), who was joined by new lead cosponsors Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ). The PSPA would amend the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit the sale of dogs and cats acquired from random sources for use in research, teaching, or testing—eliminating the need to address this through annual spending bills.
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) has introduced the Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Farm Animals Act (HR 243). This legislation would ensure that producers undertake precautionary measures to protect livestock from the harmful impacts of adverse weather events as a prerequisite for receiving federal aid funded by taxpayers. HR 243 builds upon language that AWI worked to secure in the fiscal year 2023 omnibus encouraging the US Department of Agriculture to assist producers in developing contingency plans, given that “extreme weather events are occurring at increased frequency, putting additional livestock at risk.” AWI is also pushing to incorporate this bill into the 2023 Farm Bill.