Cárdenas Introduces Bill to Ban Greyhound Racing
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Tony Cárdenas (D-CA-29) introduced the Greyhound Protection Act legislation to phase out live greyhound racing. This bill also bans the use of live animals for training of greyhounds.
“Greyhound racing is cruel and must end,” said Congressman Tony Cárdenas. “These docile animals are kept in stacked cages for 20 hours or more a day and are subjected to brutal training practices and races, facing the risk of injury and death at every turn. My bill allows for a sensible wind-down of an already-declining industry that will ultimately outlaw greyhound racing. As a longtime animal welfare advocate, I am committed to always speaking up for the voiceless.”
Cárdenas’ bill comes in the wake of a startling investigation that exposed live lure training in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas, with “farms” training dogs by allowing them to tear apart rabbits to accustom them to chasing the mechanical lure used for racing. Some states have long-standing prohibitions on the use of live lures, and industry leaders have denied for decades that the practice exists.
“Greyhound racing will soon end in the United States, and this bill allows for a managed phase-out of the activity to enable planning to provide homes for the dogs and certainty for the owners, workers, and breeders in the industry,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action. “Greyhound racing is dying, and it’s best to manage the shutdown of the industry to allow for a soft landing for the people and the animals involved.”
“Our new investigation of greyhound breeding farms shows that dog racing is cruel from start to finish,” stated Christine A. Dorchak, President and General Counsel of GREY2K USA. “This is an antiquated industry with a compulsion for cruelty.”
The bill amends the Wire Act to achieve its purposes of ending greyhound racing and live-lure training.
Rep. Cárdenas is currently cosponsoring various bills aimed at curbing taxpayer-funded animal testing, and in recent years has helped end unnecessary government tests on cats and dogs. Cárdenas is an original cosponsor of the PUPPERS Act of 2019 and a cosponsor of the AFTER Act of 2019.
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