On Thursday, May 24, Sens. Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act of 2018 (S. 2957), legislation which is identical to the House companion, H.R. 1847, championed by Reps. Ted Yoho (R-FL) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR). Several senators have signed onto the bill as original cosponsors, including Sens. Moran (R-KS), Collins (R-ME), Blumenthal (D-CT), Feinstein (D-CA), McCaskill (D-MO) and Markey (D-MA), Daines (R-MT) and Toomey (R-PA).
The PAST Act lays out common sense solutions to prevent the continued practice of taking action on a horse’s limb, aka “soring,” to produce an accentuated gait for competition. The bill would take important steps to build on the progress made since passage of the Horse Protection Act (HPA) of 1970, which precipitated a dramatic decline in the practice of soring a horse’s limb. The legislation would amend the HPA to establish a new system for inspecting horses, revise penalties for violations of the Act, and modify enforcement procedures.
The legislation has been referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce. The AHC will continue to advocate for additional co-sponsors in order to move this important legislation forward.
To view a copy of a statement from the office of Sen. Warner (D-VA), please click here:
https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2018/5/warner-crapo-introduce-legislation-to-prevent-horse-soring.