Cattle/ Anti-Horse Transportation Bill Update

Jess Peterson
www.uscattlemen.org

Howdy Friends,

Unfortunately HR 6598 passed by a voice vote in today's House Judiciary Committee markup. HR 6598 is now up for consideration for a floor vote by the full House of Representatives.
Republican House Judiciary Members offered several amendments to revise this problematic bill. However, all but one of these amendments failed. Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) offered an amendment that replaced the words "Attorney General" and inserted "in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture." This amendment passed.
Thanks to Rep. Goodlatte's efforts the House Parliamentarian will have to review HR 6598, and decide how to address this amendment. This maneuver will soak up time and slow the process of allowing the bill to come up for a full House vote.
Sources report that due to the fact HR 6598 did not come before his committee, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) will send a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) requesting that HR 6598 not come to the floor until the Ag Committee holds a hearing and reviews the bill. This also delays HR 6598 from advancing to the floor. Furthermore, Chairman Peterson is strongly opposed to this bill and an Ag. Committee Hearing on HR 6598 would give him and his colleagues a chance to hammer HR 6598.
The combined efforts of Goodlatte, Peterson and other key Members of Congress should prevent HR 6598 from advancing any further.
You need to keep making calls and sending emails to ensure this bill does not come before the full House of Representatives. The Congressional sessions ends this week. However, there is a good chance Members will return for a pose election Lame Duck session.
I am often times hesitant to give these groups too much credit for their clout, but I will say the Humane Society and its allies were in full force at all of these Hearings. They filled the first 3 rows at today's Hearing. These groups are definitely charged to take on production agriculture, and we gotta' keep all our allies pulling together on these animal welfare issues.
An HSUS lobbyist nearly crunched my hat. Fortunately for the both of us the lobbyist did not.
But, this sure was a frustrating Hearing.
Thanks again for your hard work, and please feel free to email or call with any questions.
Ride Tall,

Jess Peterson
www.uscattlemen.org

Good Neighbor Committee
P.O. Box 155 - La Salle, CO  80645
info@goodneighborlaw.com

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