LEGISLATIVE UPDATE ON SENATE BILL 311

Statement from the American Quarter Horse Association regarding passage of Senate Bill 311 by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee by a vote of 15 for/7 against

On behalf of the horse industry, and in particular the American Quarter Horse industry, we very much appreciate those senators who stood up for horses and voted against Senate Bill 311.

It was the correct vote, one that demonstrated support for agriculture and all livestock, including horses. Senate Bill 311 is bad legislation, and people who care for horses and their well-being recognize the bill’s detrimental consequences.

WHY SENATE BILL 311 IS BAD LEGISLATION

Funding of care for unwanted horses.  S. 311 does not address the funding required to care for or disposal of an additional 90,000+ horses per year.  Inadequate funding often creates inadequate care, which is a significant welfare concern for unwanted horses. At approximately $1,900 per horse each year, the total cost of S. 311 would be $127 million in the first year alone.

Long-term placement of affected horses.  S. 311 fails to address how and where unwanted horses will be placed if horse processing is banned. The major breed organizations already are hearing cases of horses abandoned at auction facilities

Personal Property Encroachment/Constitutional Rights. By passing S. 311, the government would be limiting the way citizens can manage their personal property. Horses are personal property protected under the United States Constitution. Any law that would result in “taking” of personal property without just compensation or valid purpose is a violation of an individual’s constitutional rights. Furthermore, it is a violation of the commerce clause to unreasonably restrict interstate trade of property. 

Ambiguous language of the bill itself.  S. 311 seeks to prohibit the shipping, transportation, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered, and for other purposes.  “Other purposes” is not defined and, if taken literally, could mean the transportation of horses for any reason, including sporting events, sales, recreation or transportation for medical care.  This language is detrimental to the equine industry as a whole and if not addressed, could have unintended consequences.

Standards of Care. The legislation does not establish standards of care that horse rescue facilities must meet. Currently, there are no uniform national guidelines to authenticate or regulate the ability of equine rescue or retirement facilities to provide appropriate care for the horses they receive.  Also, the U.S. would need an additional 2,700 rescue shelters in order to care for the increased numbers of horses.  Even if standards of care were imposed on these facilities, enforcement at such a large number of facilities would require a serious additional financial and human resources commitment for the appropriate government oversight agency.

Legislation that is Not Necessary. Currently, none of the three U.S. equine slaughter plants are operating and this exercise for the U.S. Senate is a waste of time. The courts have intervened and stopped the practice. There are more pressing U.S. policy issues for the Senate to devote its time to than unnecessary legislation

The Industry Is Handling This Without Government Regulation. The Unwanted Horse Coalition (www.unwantedhorsecoalition.org) was formed in 2005 and last year folded into the American Horse Council. The goal of the Unwanted Horse Coalition is to educate owners, raise awareness and facilitate information exchange ultimately to reduce the number of unwanted horses and eliminate the problem altogether.