Legislators introduced horse slaughter prevention bills simultaneously today (Jan. 17) in both the House and Senate in an effort to increase public awareness. Last year the bill was passed in the House with a 263 to 146 vote, but the Senate adjourned before members were able to vote on the bill.

Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) introduced the “Virgie S. Arden American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act,” S. 311, the Senate version of the bill, along with John Ensign (R-Nev.) and 11 original co-sponsors, according to a Humane Society of the United States press release. In the House, Reps. Janice Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), John Spratt (D-S.C.), and Nick Rahall (D-W.V.), introduced H.R. 503 with 61 original cosponsors. Both bills would prohibit the “shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of any horse or other equine to be slaughtered for human consumption.”

Earlier this month, Rahall and Whitfield introduced H.R. 249, a slaughter ban on wild horses, and Kentucky Sen. Tom Buford (R) introduced a horse slaughter bill for his state.

There are three horse slaughter plants in the United States, including two in Texas and one in Illinois. In 2006, approximately 100,000 horses were slaughtered in the United States, and another 33,400 were shipped to Canada, Japan, and Mexico for slaughter.

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