Legislative

Legislative Advocacy:

• Against the lowering of the hunting age (SB167)
• Sponsor/participant in annual Residents’ Advocacy Day
• Advocated the exemption of school safety nurses and transport from budget revenue limits
• Official position against granting prescribing rights to clinical psychologists
• Endorsement of SB27-AB16 providing a mandate of coverage for cochlear implants
• Support of AB590, legislation ensuring equal protection for all children from injury or death due to medical neglect
• Endorsement of the Preserve Antibiotics for Medical Treatment (PAMTA) Act (S-619/HR-1549) MORE. . .

Legislative resources:

• Wisconsin State Legislature
• Thomas: Legislative Information On the Internet

Updates on PAMTA from the Union of Concerned Scientists:

• CBS Evening News Airs Two Segments on Antibiotics in Animal Agriculture

  The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric featured a two-segment series on the use of antibiotics in animal agriculture on February 9 and 10. Couric first investigated the relationship between animal agriculture and antibiotic resistance as she visited both confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and antibiotic-free farms. The second segment explored the alternatives to using antibiotics in animal agriculture, and focused on the Danish government’s ban on the use of antibiotics for nontherapeutic purposes. Couric concluded by mentioning that legislation concerning this issue is pending on Capitol Hill. You can watch the first segment here, and the second here. Read more about the CBS feature on our website here.

• PAMTA Continues to Gain Cosponsors on Capitol Hill

  An additional four representatives added their names as cosponsors of PAMTA, for a total of 104 cosponsors in the House. On the Senate side, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) both signed their names in support of PAMTA, bringing the total number of cosponsors to 17. Momentum is building on Capitol Hill, and the record number of PAMTA cosponsors continues to grow.

• Antibiotics Use in Animal Agriculture Discussed on Oprah

  On January 27, Oprah hosted a show titled “Food 101 with Michael Pollan,” which focused on the many issues behind our food, including the use of antibiotics. In the very beginning of the show, the audience participated in a quiz testing their “Food IQ,” and a question on how many pounds of antibiotics are given to livestock every year was included. You can read a summary of the show here.

• List of Organizations Endorsing PAMTA in the 111th Congress Tops 300!

Over 300 health, environment, agriculture, animal, religious, and other interest groups have signed on in support of PAMTA, totaling 313 groups as of today. You can see the current list of endorsing organizations here. Know an organization that you think would support PAMTA, but is not on the list? Email them this link to sign up. As we continue to grow our support base, we would like to thank you for your endorsement of PAMTA!