A bill aimed at improving protections for wild horses and burros has passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee and is destined for the US House of Representatives.
The Restoring Our American Mustangs Act (HR 1018), also known as the ROAM Act, was introduced by committee chairman Nick Rahall and National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee chairman Raul Grijalva earlier this year.
It is intended to restore protections for wild horses and burros which have been stripped out of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act in recent years.
The bill, said Grijalva, would overhaul antiquated policies over wild horse management.
"Protection and management of the wild horses and burros on our public lands is an important federal responsibility, but it is clear that the federal government has not been adequately meeting that responsibility," said Rahall.
"This legislation will remedy many of the critical lapses that are taking place under the 1971 Act by invoking a number of commonsense measures, including preventing the Bureau of Land Management from resorting to slaughter as a solution for management."
The original 1971 act was intended to prevent the sale of America's wild horses and burros for commercial purposes.
This provision was overriden when then Senator Conrad Burns attached a midnight rider to an Omnibus spending bill in 2004 that instructed the bureau to sell horses "without limitation".
This meant that captured animals could potentially be sent to livestock auctions where they could be purchased for slaughter.
"Ever since the Burns rider became law it's been a game of constant vigilance for the American public and members of Congress," said Chris Heyde, deputy director of government and legal affairs for the Animal Welfare Institute.
"The simple and right thing to do is to restore this provision while revamping and improving the larger statute. Not only will the ROAM Act ensure that our mustangs and burros are once again protected from slaughter, but it seeks to reclaim land - some 19 million acres - taken away from these magnificent animals since the 1971 Act was signed into law."
Heyde said the institute was grateful to Rahall and Grijalva for their leadership on the issue.
There are currently nearly as many wild horses held in captivity as roam the western rangelands.
"It is imperative that we protect and preserve America's wild horses as a 'living national treasure'," said Grijalva. "The antiquated policies concerning these magnificent creatures must be change to reflect what Americans want for these horses today."
The ROAM Act now moves to the full House of Representatives for consideration.
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