Joe Knollenberg Worked Hard to Earn His Ranking from the Humane Society Legislative Fund

This is a press relase issued today from the Humane Society Legislative Fund.

Humane Society Legislative Fund Says Rep. Joe Knollenberg Can’t Hide from His Record on Animal Cruelty

WASHINGTON, DC (Nov. 1, 2008)—Just days before the election, U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg has launched a desperate campaign of paid radio ads and robo-calls to try to fool voters in Michigan’s 9^th District into believing that he is a friend of animals. But the Humane Society Legislative Fund says Knollenberg can’t hide from his 16-year record of voting against animal protection.

"Joe Knollenberg has a long and embarrassing record of opposing moderate animal welfare policies, and voters will see through this phony election-year conversion on animal issues,” said Michael Markarian, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “He has had 16 years in office to demonstrate where he stands on the humane treatment of animals, and time and time again he has voted against common-sense animal welfare reforms. He has had eight sessions of Congress to prove where he stands, and voters who care about animals are saying eight is enough."

Click here to view the TV ad that HSLF is running in the Detroit area.

In his 16 years in Congress, Rep. Knollenberg has opposed animal welfare reforms time and time again, and has repeatedly received among the lowest marks possible on the annual Humane Scorecard. He scored 4 percent in the 103^rd Congress, 12.5 in the 106^th Congress, 10 in the 108^th Congress, 28 in the 109^th Congress, and zero in the 104^th, 105^th, and 107^th Congresses. Some of his votes on animal protection issues include the following.

· Horse Slaughter: He voted against the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, H.R. 503 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll433.xml—September 7, 2006), to prohibit the slaughter of American horses to be served as a foreign delicacy in France and Belgium.

· Animal Fighting: He voted against the Blumenauer-Tancredo amendment to H.R. 2673 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2003/roll355.xml—July 14, 2003) which provided $800,000 for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to improve enforcement of the federal law against animal fighting—the same law that was later used to break up Michael Vick's dogfighting ring.

· Polar Bears: He voted against the Inslee-LoBiondo amendment to H.R. 2643 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll573.xml—June 27, 2007) to prohibit wealthy American trophy hunters from importing the heads and hides of sport-hunted polar bears killed in the Arctic.

· Downer Cattle: He voted against the Ackerman-LaTourette amendment to H.R. 2673 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2003/roll357.xml—July 14, 2003) to protect our food supply and stop the abuse of sick and crippled cattle too weak to walk to slaughter. Six months after that vote, a downer cow in the U.S. tested positive for "mad cow disease."

· Bear Baiting: He voted against the Gallegly-Moran amendment to H.R. 2691 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2003/roll382.xml—July 17, 2003) to stop the inhumane and unsporting practice of shooting bears over piles of pizza and jelly doughnuts on national forests.

· Lethal Predator Control: He voted against the DeFazio-Bass amendment to H.R. 1906 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1999/roll172.xml—June 8, 1999) and the DeFazio-Bass-Morella amendment to H.R. 4461 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2000/roll382.xml—July 11, 2000) to end the use of tax dollars to kill predators with cruel traps and poisons as a government subsidy for private ranchers.

· Dolphin-Safe Tuna: He voted for H.R. 408 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1997/roll151.xml—May 21, 1997) which ended the embargo on dolphin-deadly tuna and weakened protections for dolphins caught in tuna nets, and he voted against the Miller amendment to H.R. 2670 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1999/roll382.xml—August 5, 1999) to limit U.S. funding of the international tuna fishing convention, which allows the use of dolphin-deadly nets.

· Trapping: He voted against the Farr-Whitfield amendment to H.R. 2466 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1999/roll291.xml—July 14, 1999) to stop the use of steel-jawed leghold traps and wire neck snares to kill and maim animals for their fur pelts on national wildlife refuges.

· Fur Subsidies: He voted against the Shays-Deutsch amendment to H.R. 1976 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1995/roll553.xml—July 21, 1995) which eliminated a $2 million annual subsidy for the luxury mink coat industry.

· Foreign Trophy Hunting: He voted against the Fox-Miller amendment to H.R. 2159 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1997/roll359.xml—September 4, 1997) to stop the use of tax dollars to promote the trophy hunting of African elephants and other foreign species as a rural development strategy.

· Yellowstone Bison: He voted against the Rahall amendment to H.R. 2691 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2003/roll383.xml—July 17, 2003) to protect the last free-roaming buffalo herd in Yellowstone National Park from government slaughter.

· Wild Horses and Burros: He voted against the Rahall-Whitfield-Sweeney-Spratt amendment to H.R. 2361 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll196.xml—May 19, 2005), and voted against H.R. 249 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll269.xml—April 26, 2007), to restore the decades-long protection for wild horses and burros on public lands from commercial sale and slaughter.

HSLF is a nonpartisan organization that endorses both Democratic and Republican members of Congress. HSLF's endorsements in Michigan for the 2008 election include: U.S. Sen. Carl Levin (D); U.S. Reps. Bart Stupak (D-1^st), Vernon Ehlers (R-3rd), Dale Kildee (D-5th), Fred Upton (R-6th), Mike Rogers (R-8th), Thaddeus McCotter (R-11th), Sander Levin (D-12th), Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-13th), and John Conyers (D-14th); and challengers Mark Schauer (D-7th) and Gary Peters (D-9th).

HSLF evaluates candidates based on their stands on animal protection policies, and does not judge candidates based on party affiliation or any other issue. HSLF is a national organization working to pass animal protection legislation in Congress and in state legislatures, and is not affiliated with local humane societies.

Knollenberg Spokesperson calls Animal Activist Campaign a "Distraction"

Nate Bailey, Joe Knollenberg's spokesperson seems to think Knollenberg's record on animal rights is just a distraction. What Nate and Joe apparently don't know is that the 9th District of Michigan has one of the highest concentrations of pet owners and members of the Humane Society in the country and Joe Knollenberg has one of the worst records on animal rights in the country. (Click here for Joe's Record.) Apparently Joe doesn't realize that there are even Republican voters that really care about their pets and animal rights. I doubt those people will be thinking this issue is a "distraction," Nate. So, let's review, Joe has a terrible record on veterans issues, animal rights issues and has voted with George W. Bush over 90% of the time.

I agree with the HSLF. We need a new Congressman.

Humane Society Legislative Fund Launches Anti-Knollenberg Ad

Here is the ad that the HSLF is launching against Knollenberg.