On September 21, 2001, by an unrecorded voice vote in the Senate, the language of S. 1397 was successfully added as an amendment (Sen Amd. 1577) to the House Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2002 for the Department of the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government. (H.R. 2590). This bill will now go to a Conference Committee composed of Members of the House and Senate to resolve all the differences between the House passed bill and the Senate passed bill. When a final bill is agreed upon by the Conference Committee, it will then go back to the House and Senate for passage and then to the President for signature into law.
Animal rights organizations immediately opposed the legislation and lobbied hard against its passage. Such organizations included the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), United Poultry Concerns (UPC) and other such vocal and well funded groups. In addition, the airlines also actively lobbied against the amendment - particularly, Northwest Airlines.
The animal rights groups are now lobbying Members of the House of Representatives to oppose the amendment in the Conference Committee, and if the amendment survives the Conference, to oppose it when the legislation comes back to the House and Senate for action. The issue has now received attention from the national press also. It is possible that the airlines will continue to oppose the amendment but since the Congress passed a $15 billion package to basically subsidize the airline industry, it is anticipated the airlines will not now visibly oppose it recognizing that air mail shipments are, in fact, a source of business from taxpayers who are paying the tab for such subsidies.
It is imperative, however, that our members contact their respective Representatives urging their support for the amendment added to H.R. 2590 by the Senate. This is particularly true if that Representative is on the House Appropriations Committee and the Subcommittee for Treasury, Postal Service and General Government who undoubtedly will be members of the Conference Committee. Further, the Senate Conferees, who are members of the Subcommittee on Treasurer and General Government, should also be contacted to insure that they hold firm on keeping the amendment in H.R. 2590.