Legislators Rewarded for Animal Advocacy

The Sportsmen’s & Animal Owners’ Voting Alliance has named Longview GOP Rep. David Simpson a “legislative leader”for 2011, for his “outstanding leadership working with colleagues, animal owners, and sportsmen in a legislative session burdened with emotion,” Susan Wolf, president of the national group, wrote in a press statement.

Simpson was a vocal opponent of the so-called puppy mill bill, which SAOVA opposed. The bill by Houston Dem Senfronia Thompson aimed to regulate large-scale cat and dog breeders to ensure humane treatment; although the bill passed, it is still unclear whether the new rules would actually meet the goals of the legislation (see “Commission Debarks Puppy Mill Regs,” April 6).

Simpson thanked SAOVA for the recognition: “Responsible animal owners and sportsmen can work together to ensure sustainable and humane treatment of animals without the unnecessary regulations and expensive new government bureaucracies,” he said in the SAOVA press release.

The group also recognized Mineola GOP Rep. Bryan Hughes for his commitment to “continue to safeguard our rights to hunt, fish, and own animals.”