AWI Quarterly Term Archive
Government/Legal
Weaken or Widen ESA Protections? Congress Weighs In
Marine Wildlife, Terrestrial WildlifeThe Endangered Species Act continues to face attacks in Congress. There are bills to prohibit the listing of species not native to the United States, to allow the government to...
Care Standards Considered for Cephalopods
Animals in LaboratoriesCurrently, there is no federal oversight of the use of invertebrates in research in the United States. In a welcome move, the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Laboratory Animal...
OLAW Oversight Fails to Protect Mice in Research
Animals in LaboratoriesInstitutions that receive Public Health Service (PHS) funding and conduct research using live vertebrate animals are required by law to have an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) that...
Dr. Randour’s Legacy: Securing the Data to Bring Animal Cruelty into Sharper Focus
Companion AnimalsDr. Mary Lou Randour, who served as senior policy advisor for AWI’s Animals and Interpersonal Violence program until her recent retirement, rarely shies away from a challenge—even if it involves...
Supreme Court Declines to Review North Carolina Ag-Gag Law
Farmed AnimalsIn October, the US Supreme Court denied a petition to review the Fourth Circuit ruling that struck down portions of the Property Protection Act—North Carolina’s latest ag-gag law—on the grounds...
USDA Establishes Animal Welfare Standards for Organic Program
Farmed AnimalsIn November, the US Department of Agriculture published a final rule establishing animal welfare standards for the millions of animals raised on organic farms. The Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards...
New York to Outlaw Wildlife Killing Contests
Terrestrial WildlifeAfter years of work by a coalition of advocacy groups, including AWI, the New York legislature passed a bill in June to ban wildlife killing contests, with certain exceptions, including...
Helping Homeless People and Pets
Companion AnimalsReps. Jason Crow (D-CO), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Nancy Mace (R-SC) reintroduced the Providing for Unhoused People and Pets (PUPP) Act (HR 3957). This bill would make...
Improving Animal Welfare Act Enforcement
Companion Animals, Terrestrial WildlifeIn June, Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Nancy Mace (R-SC) reintroduced the Animal Welfare Enforcement Improvement Act (AWEIA; HR 3859) in response to the egregious failures by the US Department...
Legislators Float Wrong Moves on Right Whales
Marine WildlifeVessel strikes continue to be one of the leading threats facing critically endangered North Atlantic right whales (NARW). Slowing down vessels is the only proven way to avoid these deadly...