New USDA dog and cat regs announced

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, August/September 1996:

WASHINGTON D.C. – – The
USDA on July 3 proposed to amend
Animal Welfare Act regulations for the
care of dogs and cats to disallow tethering
as a primary means of holding
dogs; require that air temperatures in
dog and cat housing be kept below 90
degrees Fahrenheit; and require coated
wire flooring in dog and cat cages.
The proposed rules, applicable to
breeders and dealers involved in interstate
commerce, are a weaker version
of proposals advanced by 110 members
of the House of Representatives
and three Senators in a letter to
Agriculture Secretary Daniel Glickman
circulated for signatures in June 1995.

The letter was to be presented to
Glickman by Rep. Glenn Poshard (DIll.)
and Senator Rick Santorum (RPa.)
on August 9, 1995, but on
August 8, Santorum and Humane
Society of the U.S. director of legislation
Wayne Pacelle upstaged Poshard
et al by staging a press conference to
proclaim a crusade against puppy
mills––where they presented a different
letter to Glickman, asking only
that current regulations be enforced.
According to Congressional and
Senatorial aides, Pacelle and Santorum
dropped the requests for specific
humane standards at request of
American Kennel Club lobbyist Jim
Holt and American Veterinary Medical
Association lobbyist Pamela Abney.