Brady believes local prosecution should handle dog fight cases

By JIMMY GALVAN Managing Editor

The president of The Humane Society Legislative Fund has opened fire on members of the Texas delegation in Congress who recently voted against the federal Animal Prohibition Enforcement Act.

One of the congressmen coming under fire on the hotbed issue is District 8 Congressman Kevin Brady.

The legislation passed the House by a vote of 368 to 39, and then cleared the Senate unanimously.

"The vast majority of members of Congress supported this legislation to put a stop to precisely the type of behavior that Michael Vick was charged with last week - participation in a multi-state network of cruel and degrading dog fighting activities," said Michael Markarian, president of HSLF. "Humane organizations and more than 400 law enforcement agencies supported the federal bill, yet these 11 Texas lawmakers showed their true colors by giving dogfighters a free pass."

"I oppose dog and cock fighting, who in their right mind doesn't?" Brady said. "It is already a federal crime and is already a Texas crime. The only reason I voted against the bill was because I think these local animal cruelty crimes should be prosecuted at the state level.

"Our federal law enforcement officials can't keep up with illegal immigration, identity theft and international drug trafficking and a lot of other major federal crimes," Brady said. "These (animal cruelty crimes) are bad crimes that need to be prosecuted at the state level because the feds have their hands full."

U.S. Representatives Joe Barton (R- 6th), Kevin Brady (R-8th), Mike Conaway (R-11th), Louie Gohmert (R- 1st), Jeb Hensarling (R-5th), Ruben Hinojosa (D-15th), Sam Johnson (R- 3rd), Randy Neugebauer (R-19th), Ron Paul (R-14th), Ted Poe (R-2nd), and William Thornberry (R-13th) were among about three-dozen lawmakers who voted against the measure.

Brady said the irony of him facing this criticism remains with the fact that his mother ran a humane shelter in his hometown when he was growing up.

"When I was a young boy we had families dropping off animals day and night at our home," Brady said. "I would open the front door to our porch and there was always a litter of dogs or cats there."

In wake of the indictment of Atlanta Falcons' starting quarterback Michael Vick, the issue has been pushed the forefront of the public's eyes.

This legislation, which was passed in March and signed into law in May, upgrades penalties for illegal transportation of fighting dogs - one of the crimes Vick has been charged with - from misdemeanor to felony penalties.

The newly enacted federal law makes interstate transport of animals for fighting purposes a felony offense, with penalties up to three years in prison for each violation. It also bans the interstate and foreign commerce in cockfighting weapons.

Currently, 48 states have felony dog fighting laws, and 35 states have felony cockfighting laws.

Dog fighting and cockfighting are both felonies in Texas.

"What this boils down is who is the best to prosecute it and what should federal enforcement officials be working on," Brady said.