Ensign-Byrd Amendment - U.S. Senate Moved to Stop Horse Slaughter
On September 20, 2005, the Senate voted in favor of passing the Ensign Amendment No. 1753 as modified "to prohibit the use of appropriated funds to pay the salaries or expenses of personnel to inspect horses .." to H.R. 2744 (Agriculture Spending Bill).

Vote count: YEAs 68 and NAYs 29, not voting 3.

View details of final vote results.

The Senate amendment is the partner bill of the Sweeny-Sprat amendment H.R. 2744 in the House. It prohibits the USDA to inspect horse meat and horses shipped for slaughter abroad at the US border, forcing the only three horse slaughterhouses remaining in the US to shut down and effectively stopping the exportation of American horses for slaughter for next fiscal year.

The amendment was modified by the conference committee due to chairman Bonilla insertion of "effective 120 days" as followed:

SEC. 794. Effective 120 days after the date of enactment of this
Act, none of the funds made available in this Act may be used to
pay the salaries or expenses of personnel to inspect horses under
section 3 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 603) or under
the guidelines issued under section 903 of the Federal Agriculture
Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 1901 note; Public
Law 104–127).

--- ENSIGN-BYRD AMENDMENT ORIGINAL TEXT ---

SEC. . None of the funds made available in this Act may be used to
pay the salaries or expenses of personnel to inspect horses
under section 3 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 603) or
under the guidelines issued under section 903 the Federal Agriculture
Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 1901 note; Public Law
104–127).