The Horse Slaughter Prevention Act has been reintroduced to Congress as bill H.R. 503. Initially introduced by Republican John E. Sweeney of New York as The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 857), the bill gained bipartisan support in 2004, garnering some 226 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives. Although it only takes 218 votes to pass legislation on the floor, the bill bogged down in the Agriculture Committee and never reached the floor for debate or a vote.

Sweeney, once again the lead sponsor of H.R. 503, introduced the bill on Feb. 1 as “a bill to amend the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption, and for other purposes.

“A new year brings new opportunities. I am confident we will build on the tremendous support we had last year and finally end the brutal and despicable practice of slaughtering horses for human consumption,” said Sweeney.

Co-sponsors of H.R. 503 are Congressmen John Spratt of South Carolina; Ed Whitfield of Kentucky; Sherrod Brown of Ohio; Eliot Engel of New York; Mary Bono, Christopher Cox, Elton Gallegly, Lois Capps, and Anna Eshoo of California; Michael Ferguson and Frank Pallone of New Jersey; Gene Green of Texas; Debi Towns of Wisconsin; James Moran of Virginia; and Christopher Shays of Connecticut.

The bill has been referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce for further deliberation.