Dear Anne,
We shouldn't admit it, but our favorite newsletters throughout the year are those that showcase the Animal Law Conference scholarship recipients. We're introducing them and will let you know their reactions to the conference in upcoming months.
Animal Law Conference
Congratulations to SIMRAN, KELLY, ISABEL, ALDO, ZIYI, ERIN, RACHEL, and ANEESA. They will be headed for Washington D.C. in several weeks to attend the 34th Animal Law Conference, in part thanks to our Scholarship Program and to your generosity.
This year's cohort represents Columbia, Cornell, Detroit/Mercy, Fordham, Michigan, and New Mexico law schools
Five of the students attend law schools that are new to our Scholarship Program
Many students are active in their school's animal law organization
One student is coming on a red-eye flight so they can attend the conference after an exam
They all have a passion to use their legal education to improve animals' lives.
The scholarship program is now in its 6th year. It had its beginnings in 2021 when the conference was virtual. The continuing interest in attending demonstrates the diversity, growth and talent among those aspiring to work in animal law and policy. We think we're on the right track with the Scholarship Program, and we'll continue to offer it, and continue to make our case that it's worth your support.
Advocacy/Policy
Lightening Round
Save Our Bacon Act (SOBA) remains a priority. The Senate Agriculture Committee in September voted the farm bill out of committee, on a party line vote. Notably, the Senate version does not have SOBA language. We don't expect any formal action until after the election but rest assured that the coalition to defeat SOBA remains active.
Efforts to weaken the Endangered Species Act and, relatedly, de-list predators including Western Great Lakes gray wolves, continue. Some bedrock principles of the ESA are being undermined including the definition of words like "take" and "harm."
Other issues on the radar include: data centers (with their impact on wildlife), zoonotic diseases, the return of beavers and whether we'll "coexist or not coexist" being the question, the federal government's ongoing efforts to stop funding research on animals (including beagles), increasing appetite among suburban communities to find that over-population of deer is best "solved" by killing them.
We urge you to vote in November. Some states have animal-related measures on the ballot (we're looking at you, Colorado and Massachusetts). Pay attention to local government ordinances: we're following a proposal to ban glue traps sales or use in Ann Arbor, MI.
Legislative Tracker™
Here are the first and last pages. The link below takes you to a clickable version.
September 29, 2026 Tracker.
Lunch + Legislation
Prof. Favre joins us to talk about his role as both academic and activist. His 40+ years of teaching coincide with the development and growth of animal law. His ideas and actions have had a large part in shaping the field.
I've had a chance to get to know the scholarship students during the application process and I look forward to meeting in person. We ask them to write a short essay in which they select one talk on the conference agenda they are most looking forward to hearing. They all chose a different speaker, and their reasons revealed a lot about their current interests and future goals.
Congratulations to Ivars who won an AFA T-shirt for correctly
answering the question in the "Take a Test. Win a T-shirt" contest in the August newsletter. We'll have a contest every few months. One person mentioned that they'd not realized the Tracker was clickable with links to all the bills and articles listed. Thanks to all who participated.
Please contact me with comments, questions or suggestions. I want to hear from you. Thank you and please forward this email to people who might be interested.
For the Animals,
Bee Friedlander, Board President
