Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN) - Promoting the humane treatment of animals through legislation, education and advocacy

Most Recent: 2009 Legislative Session

This year's legislative session was a devastating loss for Texas animals and the animal welfare community. Good animal protection bills were killed -- not because they lacked merit and support -- but because they fell victim to House and Senate trade-offs and bill sabotage that served neither the interest of the decent people of this state nor the animals.

To this end, the puppy millers and the cockfighters, who shared the same legislative counsel, are savoring their joint victories as the clear winners of the 2009 Legislative session.

The losers? The dogs and cats who will continue to languish in the cruel and squalid conditions of mass breeding facilities and the gamecocks that will continue to be flayed to death with razor sharp steel blades in staged bloodsport events throughout the state.

The profiteers of such cruelty portray themselves as "pet lovers" and "game fowl raisers" to the media and the outside world, but it is by their actions and not their words that they will come to be known.

We will rebound from our defeats and begin our work anew, strengthened by the knowledge that there are more of us who oppose puppy mill cruelty and staged animal fighting than there are those who make their living from these reprehensible industries.

We will regroup, continue to increase our numbers statewide, strengthen our political relationships with our legislators - and be ready to work even harder and more effectively in the 82nd Legislative Session.

We have some exciting events in the planning stages for the months ahead to engage our newly formed regional chapters and to help raise public awareness about THLN and our fight against animal cruelty.

Thank you for ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK this session and please know that your local efforts helped win the support of many of your legislators. Both the puppy mill and the cockfighting bills passed the House of Representatives with overwhelming support, which was no easy feat.

Many good bills take more than one session to be successful, so let's build on the groundwork we've laid and move ahead.

Click here to view the report for this session »