HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 13

BY  SWEENEY

A Resolution urging support of efforts to improve the sustainability of the horse industry.

   WHEREAS, the closing of horse harvesting facilities in America has decimated the equine industry, and has curtailed the ability of states and tribes to control the numbers of excess and abandoned horses on their lands; and
   WHEREAS, documented reports indicate an increase of four hundred percent in the number of starved, abandoned, and neglected horses between 2008 and 2009 alone; and
   WHEREAS, federal appropriations law contains a prohibition on allowing federal dollars to be spent on salaries for inspectors who inspect horses before or after slaughter, making it impossible for operations that want to process horse meat to market this meat; and
   WHEREAS, this has resulted in state budget increases and taxpayer costs at a time when states cannot afford unnecessary expense, and it has severely impacted the livestock industry as a whole by eliminating the salvage value of horses and significantly reducing the market value of all horses; and
   WHEREAS, efforts under way to change the federal Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 and the federal Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971, expand herd management areas, or allow the use of federal land for privately owned sanctuaries will only exacerbate the issue; NOW THEREFORE,

   BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, That the Iowa House of Representatives fully supports the restoration and sustainability of the horse industry; and

   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Iowa House of Representatives encourages the United States Department of Agriculture, individual states, and concerned entities including those concerned with agriculture, natural resources, and wildlife conservation to support the restoration and sustainability of the horse industry; and
   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That state agricultural and rural leaders urge the United States Secretary of Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture to continue to make regulatory decisions based on sound science; and
   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be sent to the Honorable Tom Vilsack, United States Secretary of Agriculture; and
   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be sent to the Honorable Tom Harkin, Chairman of the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee of the United States Senate; and the Honorable Frank Lucas, Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, United States House of Representatives; and
   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be sent to the members of Iowa’s congressional delegation; and
   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be sent to the chairpersons of the agriculture committees in other state legislatures.