In a letter to the Chairwoman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, U.S. Senator Ed Markey, joined by 16 other senators, today urged Senate Members of the 2013 Farm Bill Conference Committee to include language from the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act (S.954) in the 2013 Farm Bill. The Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, would make it a criminal offense to attend an animal fight as well as increase penalties for bringing a child to such an event. This piece of legislation has received wide bipartisan support, having passed twice in the Senate during the 112th Congress.  Text of the letter is attached and below:
 
Dear Senate Conferees,
 
As you proceed to a HouseSenate conference committee on the 2013 Farm Bill, to resolve differences between S.954 and H.R.2642, we write to call your attention to important animal fighting spectator prohibition provisions included in both bills.
 
The multistate raid announced on August 26, 2013 in which the United States Attorney's Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation rescued 367 dogs clearly demonstrates the need for stronger prohibitions on activities related to animal fighting. Federal and local officials also seized firearms, drugs, and more than $500,000 in cash from dog fighting gambling activities that took place over the course of the investigation.
 
When active animal fighting operations are raided, it is a common practice for the organizers, promoters, and animal owners to blend into the crowd in order to shield themselves from law enforcement. Though many states have enacted legislation to make attendance at an animal fight a criminal offense, local and state law enforcement still need a federal statute to appropriately prosecute these individuals and help end these criminal operations for good.
 
S.954 includes the language of the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, a bipartisan bill that the Senate approved twice in the 112th Congress. This bill currently has 24 cosponsors in the Senate and 205 cosponsors in the House of Representatives. The legislation also enjoys broad support from animal welfare groups and approximately 300 law enforcement organizations.
 
We urge you to ensure that the bipartisan language of the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, contained in Section 12209 of S.954, is adopted by the conference committee. This language would apply federal criminal penalties to any individual who knowingly attends or knowingly brings a minor to one of these horrific events. Since H.R.2642 already contains language to establish even stronger federal penalties for animal fighting spectators, the language in S.954 is a reasonable compromise and should be adopted.
 
Thank you for considering this request. We look forward to working with you.
 
Sincerely,
 
Richard Blumenthal
United States Senate
 
Mark Kirk
United States Senate
 
Maria Cantwell
United States Senate
 
David Vitter
United States Senate
 
Mary L. Landrieu
United States Senate
 
Susan Collins
United States Senate
 
Tom Carper
United States Senate
 
Robert Menendez
United States Senate
 
Bernard Sanders
United States Senate
 
Mark Warner
United States Senate
 
Jeff Merkley
United States Senate
 
Kirsten E. Gillibrand
United States Senate
 
Chris Coons
United States Senate
 
Kelly Ayotte
United States Senate
 
Martin Heinrich
United States Senate
 
Edward J. Markey
United States Senate
 
Benjamin L. Cardin
United States Senate