WASHINGTON, Jan. 15, 2014 – Democratic Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia will retire, the congressman’s office announced today. The 68-year-old Moran has represented Virginia’s heavily Democratic 8th district since 1991.
Though Moran is not a member of the House Agriculture Committee, he has influenced ag issued through his ranking membership on the Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies.
Moran has also been the prime mover behind appropriations provisions prohibiting USDA from carrying out horse slaughter inspections – effectively banning the practice across the U.S.
A Moran-led horse slaughter provision appeared in the budget bill introduced in Congress Monday. In June, after the provision was approved by the Agriculture Appropriations Committee, Moran called horse slaughter “inhumane.”
“More than 80 percent of the American people oppose the practice of horse slaughter – our laws need to sync with our values,” the congressman said in a statement.
Rep. Moran is also the chair of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, which works to “highlight important issues affecting animals and to educate members and their staff on the need for sensible animal protection legislation,” according to the group’s website.
Moran often works closely with groups like the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) on issues related to animal welfare.
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