Died in Committee

Horses held in a pen awaiting export for slaughter. Photo by Kathy Milani.

While our bills are dying in committees, our horses are dying in slaughterhouses.

Here is a quick look at the bills filed in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2001 banning horse slaughter with their resulting outcomes. They all “Died in Committee” bar one.

Updated 5/22/19: People were having a hard time viewing the chart on a number of devices. So we have simply listed the data. Thank you for letting us know. Ed.

U.S. Congress — History of Bills to Ban Horse Slaughter

2001-2002
107th Congress
HR 2622 (1st Session); HR 3781 (2nd Session)
Co-Sponors: 8; 65 respectively
Result: Died in Committee.

2003-2004
108th Congress
HR 857 (1st Session)
Co-Sponsors: 228
Result: Died in Committee.

2005-2006
109th Congress
HR 503 (1st Session)
Co-Sponsors: 203
Result: Passed the House; Certified, Sent to the Senate; Failed to reach a vote. Died.

2007-2008
110th Congress
HR 6598 (2nd Session)
Co-Sponsors: 124
Result: Died in Committee.

2009-2010
111th Congress (1st Session)
HR 503
Co-Sponsors: 190
Result: Died in Committee.

2011-2012
112th Congress (1st Session)
HR 2966
Co-Sponsors: 165
Result: Died in Committee.

2013-2014
113th Congress (1st Session)
HR 1094
Co-Sponsors: 183
Result: Died in Committee.

2015-2016
114th Congress (1st Session)
HR 1942
Co-Sponsors: 199
Result: Died in Committee.

2017-2018
115th Congress (1st Session)
HR 113
Co-Sponsors: 218
Result: Died in Committee.

2019-2020
116th Congress (1st Session)
HR 961
Co-Sponsors: 147 (at time of writing)
Result: Pending. Referred to the Energy & Commerce Committee; Agriculture Committee. Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture.

Visit our website for detailed information including legislative activities at the State level.

Another Plan

We cannot end the slaughter of U.S. horses by simply pursuing it at the federal level only.

After numerous meetings, investigative and exploratory work, we have reached the conclusion we must close U.S. borders regarding slaughter bound horses at the State level.

We will also no longer have to hold our breath year after to year to see if funding for USDA horse slaughter inspections will be denied.

We are highly encouraged that we can do this. As a matter of fact we have already started the process and are fully committed.

Make a Donation

Beauty was a ‘throwaway’, a horse on a slaughter-bound feedlot that nobody wanted. Well, I wanted her! says the lady who rescued her. Help end horse slaughter with us make the world a safer place for horses in the U.S. like Beauty.

• Support this critical work with a donation. The price of your next cup of coffee could make a world of difference and help end horse slaughter. Give today. »

What about HR 961?

In the meantime, we MUST stay committed to accumulating cosponsors for HR 961 — the Safeguard American Food Exports Act of 2019.

Does that sound contradictory? It isn’t.

The number of cosponsors a bill has greatly influences the support we can generate when it comes time to continue denying spending related to horse slaughter inspections necessary for the export of the meat.

If a bill passes the House by simple majority (218 of 435), the bill moves to the Senate. So achieving 218 cosponsors shows that a majority of the House is in favor of the bill. Similarly, in the Senate 51 constitutes a majority. The President has 10 days to sign or veto the enrolled bill.

Further Information

For a detailed look at both State and Federal activities on horse slaughter, please see The Horse Fund’s Horse Slaughter Legislative Timeline spanning 1998 to present.

Find who represents you at Elected Officials | USA.gov »

Thank you.