AWI Quarterly Term Archive

Quick Read

Hawaii Gives Heave Ho to Circus Animal Shows

Terrestrial Wildlife

At the end of 2018, Hawaii became just the second state (after New Jersey) to prohibit the use of exotic animals in traveling shows. On December 21, Governor David Ige...

Another Bad Year for Barn Fires

Farmed Animals

Every year in the United States, barn fires kill hundreds of thousands of farm animals, yet no federal laws or regulations are in place to prevent these tragic incidents. AWI,...

Key Welfare Bills in Congress

As the 116th Congress gets underway, a number of bipartisan bills that benefit animals have already been introduced in the House of Representatives: The Pet Safety and Protection Act (HR...

California Foie Gras Ban Survives Final Challenge

Farmed Animals

California’s foie gras ban is now in effect for the foreseeable future—a win for ducks, geese, and animal welfare advocates. In an anticlimactic conclusion to years of contentious litigation and...

Puppy-Mill-Placating Measure Nixed in Michigan

Companion Animals

Before leaving office, former governor Rick Snyder vetoed a pair of bills that were pitched as efforts to strengthen oversight of pet stores but which in fact would have allowed...

Good Food Purchasing Program Comes to DC Public Schools

Farmed Animals

In January, the Healthy Students Amendment Act (HSAA), which incorporated the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP), passed into law in Washington, DC, making the DC school system the fifth in...

State Legislatures Weigh Animal Welfare Measures

As in Washington, DC, the new year ushered in new sessions in state legislatures, and bills to improve animal welfare have been introduced in several of them—including the Michigan circus...

No Cramped Crates in Golden State

Farmed Animals

Last November, California voters passed Proposition 12, which will end the extreme confinement of farm animals in the state. As one of the most far-reaching laws for farm animal welfare...

Supreme Court Shuns Confinement Cases 

Farmed Animals

In addition to declining to hear the foie gras challenge, the Supreme Court passed on the opportunity to weigh in on another farm animal welfare challenge, this time with respect...

Yet Another Ag-Gag Law Found Unconstitutional

Farmed Animals

A federal court has struck down Iowa’s “ag-gag” law. In 2012, the state created the crime of “agricultural production facility fraud” after several undercover investigations revealed worker cruelty to animals....