PETS Act prevails

While it wasn't a big year for veterinary medicine initiatives, some measures managed to pass Congress and gain White House approval.

Signed by President Bush last month, the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act (PETS Act) ties federal grants to including pets in local and state evacuation plans.

The law stems from the nation's focus on the plight of animals following last year's hurricanes, which displaced an estimated 1.1 million people and roughly 50,000 of their pets. Red Cross shelters do not allow animals, and evacuation efforts were criticized when it became clear many area residents weren't leaving without their pets.

The new law grants the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authority to assist in developing evacuation plans, authorizes financial aid to states to create pet-friendly emergency shelters and allows for a provision of essential assistance for those with household pets and services animals in disasters.

Terrorism addressed

To combat animal activist extremism, the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act passed the Senate by unanimous consent at presstime. It's companion remains referred for hearings in the House Judiciary's Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security but is expected to come up for a vote after the November elections.

The measure is designed to close loopholes and increase penalties in federal law dealing with criminal acts against animal enterprises. It amends the Animal Enterprise Protection Act of 1992, which made animal-rights terrorism a federal crime and authorizes the Department of Justice to apprehend, prosecute and convict individuals committing animal enterprise terror.

"These are folks who burn down buildings or go after people and terrorize them," says Dr. Mark Lutschaunig, director of the American Veterinary Medical Association's Governmental Relations Division. "This type of terrorism, according to the FBI, is their No. 1 concern, and this law gives law enforcement more ability to combat these groups."