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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