For the last and current fiscal years, Congress provided modest increases in Animal Care's appropriation. This funding would allow the Animal Care division to hire and train additional inspectors, conduct approximately 11,600 inspections and improve follow-up inspections. This Center, created by Congress, serves as a clearinghouse and education resource for all individuals involved in the care and use of animals for experimentation. It provides information on training for laboratory employees, and legal requirements and appropriate care for animals in research, including minimizing pain and distress, preventing duplication of experiments, and reducing or replacing animals in research when possible. Link between animal cruelty and violence toward humans Congressman Kucinich strongly supports efforts to prevent violence at all levels - including animal abuse.
Research confirms a strong correlation between animal cruelty and violence against humans.
Studies show that violent offenders frequently have childhood and adolescent histories of serious and repeated animal abuse. It has also been found that animal cruelty often occurs in households experiencing family violence - child abuse, spousal abuse and elder abuse. Kucinich was successful in adding language to the Manager s Amendment of the H.R. 1900, the Juvenile Crime Control and Delinquency Prevention Act of 2001, that allows programs designed to prevent animal cruelty by juveniles and to counsel juveniles who committed animal cruelty offenses to be eligible for funding through the Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Block Grant Program. In an effort to promote awareness of the connection between animal abuse and human violence Kucinich sponsored a briefing, along with the American Humane Association, to educate Capitol Hill staffers about the topic. Protecting Animal Rights Congressman Kucinich supports the humane treatment of all animals and opposes legislation which results in animal suffering.