News
October 2, 2006
For Immediate Release
Contact: George Goodno | (202) 457-0654
AETA PASSED IN SENATE
BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT
NABR CREDITS SUCCESS TO BIPARTISAN EFFORTS
The National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR) today
recognizes the Senate’s passage of the Animal Enterprise
Terrorism Act (S. 3880) as a key milestone on the path to
protecting researchers and their families from intimidation,
and harassment by extremists. This bill is Capitol Hill’s
first attempt to counteract secondary and tertiary targeting
harassment techniques, which are actions against individuals
or organizations that do business with research institutions.
The bill, passed by the Senate without objection, awaits
action in the House of Representatives, which will reconvene
after the November mid-term elections. Sponsored by Senators
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and James Inhofe (R-OK), the proposed
legislation, was initiated to amend the Animal Enterprise
Protection Act (Title 18, Sec. 43 of the US Criminal Code.)
“This milestone would not have been possible without
the extraordinary cooperation of Republican and Democratic
Senators and their staffs working together,” said Frankie
L. Trull, President of the National Association for Biomedical
Research. “Many other interested parties played a critical
role, including biomedical research, animal agriculture, animal
exhibition and other animal user groups, plus the American
Civil Liberties Union (ACLU),” she acknowledged.
“Law enforcement will now have the tools to effectively
prosecute animal extremists who have employed illegal actions
against medical researchers and companies doing business with
academic and commercial biomedical enterprises. It will go
a long way towards creating an environment where researchers
can safely pursue medical discoveries that will save both
human and animal lives,” said Trull.
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