[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 150 (Wednesday, November 17, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1943]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5566 AND THE SENATE AMENDMENT 
                                THERETO

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                               speech of

                          HON. ELTON GALLEGLY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 15, 2010

  Mr. GALLEGLY. Madam Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 5566, which 
would stop the sale of animal crush videos.
  Nearly everyone agrees that Congress must stop the creation and 
distribution of animal crush videos, which graphically depict the abuse 
and killing of animals. In 1999, legislation I introduced to prohibit 
crush videos was signed into law by President Bill Clinton. This bill 
effectively shut down the crush video industry. Unfortunately, after 
the Supreme Court ruling that struck down this law as too broad, 
however, crush videos came back on the market.
  H.R. 5566 passed the House July 20, 2010, by a 416-3 vote. The Senate 
passed a slightly modified version in September by unanimous consent. 
But instead of passing the Senate version, the House passed a 
resolution agreeing to the Senate version but with an amendment.
  The House amendment would strip language that makes it a federal 
crime, punishable by up to seven years in jail, to attempt or conspire 
to create or distribute a crush video. Under current statute, it is 
already a federal crime to conspire to violate any federal criminal 
law, with punishment up to five years in jail.
  Given the few remaining days left in this session of Congress, I am 
concerned that after the House passes this legislation, the Senate will 
not consider this bill once again and crush videos will continue to 
proliferate.
  I look forward to working with my friends on both sides of the aisle 
to enact a new law to ban crush videos as soon as possible.

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