Humane USA Scorecard

110th Mid-Term Humane Scorecard

The Humane Scorecard, which is published annually by the Humane Society Legislative Fund, provides the records of U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives on major animal welfare policies. This most recent report card covers the first session of the 110th Congress.

The Humane Scorecard provides an easy way for constituents to assess how their federal lawmakers acted on animal protection issues, and it helps chart the progress of our public policy work on behalf of animals. Animal protection is more than ever being treated like the serious moral issue it is on Capitol Hill, and lawmakers are debating policies that have enormous implications for animals.

Last year, Congress passed measures dealing with animal fighting, chimpanzee sanctuaries, pet food safety, the Canadian seal hunt, and a war dog memorial. Appropriators provided record levels of funding for the enforcement of animal welfare laws and support for alternatives to animal testing, cut spending for horse slaughter and trophy hunting, and directed agencies to take action on de-clawing of cats and humane slaughter of poultry. Many issues are still to be settled in 2008, including the Farm Bill, which includes animal welfare provisions dealing with dogfighting, puppy imports, and experimentation on pets.

The 2007 report scores lawmakers on their floor votes on legislation to crack down on animal fighting, protect wild horses and burros from slaughter, and stop the imports of sport-hunted polar bear trophies; their co-sponsorship of key bills such as those to stop horse slaughter, require the labeling of fur-trimmed apparel, and end the use of random source dogs and cats (including stolen pets) in research; and their signing of a letter requesting funding for enforcement of animal welfare laws. Members who led as prime sponsors of animal protection legislation receive extra credit.

We hope you’ll study this scorecard and use it as a tool to ensure that your legislators represent your interests in Washington, D.C. Let legislators know that you’re watching and you appreciate their support for pro-animal legislation; or if they haven’t done enough, let them know you’d like to see them do more. Here are some of our favorite highlights from the 2007 Humane Scorecard:

A bipartisan group of 31 Senators and 100 Representatives covering 38 states led as prime sponsors of pro-animal legislation and/or scored a perfect 100 -- nearly one third of the Senate and one quarter of the House.

The average Senate score was a 43, with Senate Democrats averaging 60, and Senate Republicans averaging 24.
The average House score was a 53, with House Democrats averaging 71, and House Republicans averaging 33.
Seventeen Senators scored 100 or 100+ (13 Democrats, 4 Republicans).
Thirty-one Senators scored zero (7 Democrats, 24 Republicans).
Eighty-three Representatives scored 100 or 100+ (69 Democrats, 14 Republicans).
Thirty-seven Representatives scored zero (3 Democrats, 34 Republicans).
The New England region led the pack with an average Senate score of 75 and an average House score of 89.
The Rocky Mountains were at the bottom with an average Senate score of 13 and an average House score of 27.
California, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Jersey are the only states in which both Senators scored 100 or 100+.
Alabama, Idaho, Kentucky, Montana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming are the only states in which both Senators scored zero.
Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island are the only states with an average House score of 90 or above.
Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Utah are the only states with an average House score below 20.

We would especially like to acknowledge the following 8 Senators and 24 Representatives who scored the highest possible 100+ for receiving a perfect score and also leading on animal protection legislation:

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.)
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.)
Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.)
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.)
Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.)
Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.)
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.)
Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.)
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.)
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.)
Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.)
Rep. Mike Ferguson (R-N.J.)
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.)
Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.)
Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.)
Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.)
Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.)
Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.)
Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.)
Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.)
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.)
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.)
Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn.)
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.)
Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.)
Rep. Betty Sutton (D-Ohio)
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)

Download your copy of the 110th Midterm Humane Scorecard Here

Past years' scorecards

109th Congressional Scorecard

108th Congress in Review Scorecard

108th mid term Congressioanal Scorecard

107th Congressional Scorecard

2001 Scorecard

2000 Scorecard

The PDF versions of some of these ads are available online. To save it to your desktop, right-click on the highlighted word and then select "Save Target As" from the drop-down menu that will appear.

State Scorecards 2007

LA       2007

 

State Scorecards 2006

OR

2006

 

State Scorecards 2005

NY

2005

 

State Scorecards 2004 & previous

Paw Pac

2004

2003

2002

2001

MD

2004

2003

MO

2004

 

It wasn't long ago that animal protection issues rarely got a mention in Congress. Now, almost every office has a staff member assigned to handle animal issues, and there are dozens of animal bills introduced and important subjects debated in the House and Senate.

But Congress isn't some faceless entity that renders important judgments about animal protection policies. It is comprised of individuals - U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senators - and their work is a matter of public record.

The Humane Scorecard, a joint project of The HSUS and The Fund for Animals, recaps the work of Congress and measures the work of individual Representatives and Senators by identifying a set of issues and recording their actions or inactions. You will see from the Humane Scorecard that some members of Congress are absolutely reliable supporters of animal protection, others are consistently hostile or indifferent, and the largest group have mixed records.

These scorecards are designed for animal advocates like you to assess the performance of your two U.S. Senators and your U.S. Representative. Please read them, study them, and then follow up with your elected officials, thanking them if they have been supportive and questioning them if they have been indifferent or hostile to animal issues.

In the 107th Congress, the House and Senate passed a massive Farm Bill. The HSUS worked to add a record number of animal protection bills to the legislation, and we met with great success when the House and Senate took up their versions of the Farm bill. Unfortunately, a conference committee - which works to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate bills on the same subject - knocked out provisions that would have protected "downed animals," dogs mistreated at puppy mills, and bears killed for their internal organs. The conferees did finally accept a provision to combat cockfighting and dogfighting, and that was a major victory for animal advocates.

The Humane Scorecard is designed to inform you and to compel you to become more involved in the political process. In the end, we want to pass more laws to protect animals and secure more funding for these programs, and it is up to individual citizens to hold legislators accountable.

Now is a good time to ask for an explanation of a troublesome vote or to express your satisfaction with their performance.

If you do not know who represents you in Congress, go to Congress.org

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