Defending The Cockfighting Industry In The U.S. Territories

Statement

Today, Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón advocated on behalf of the thousands of jobs that the cockfighting industry generates in Puerto Rico, requesting legislative due process by considering the territory's overwhelming call to overturn the federal ban enacted late last year.

The Congresswoman introduced bipartisan legislation - cosponsored by all the delegates from the U.S. territories - to overturn the federal ban on cockfighting. During today's press conference, the Resident Commissioner was joined by members of the Puerto Rico Legislative Assembly and representatives from the industry.

"The ban on cockfighting represents an economic blow to the industry and over 20,000 families that depend on it. We thank Congresswoman González-Colón for taking a stand on behalf of this sport, especially when no legislative hearings were held to consider the implications of the ban. The Puerto Rico Legislative Assembly and the cockfighting industry are calling on Congress to hold public hearings so the territories can express their views on what should be the appropriate course of action. We thank the Resident Commissioner, who is our voice in Congress," said Urayoán Hernández, Majority Whip and Representative of the 26th District (Villalba, Orocovis, Coamo, and Barranquitas) in the Puerto Rico House of Representatives.

"Today we begin our lobbying efforts to guarantee the proper legislative process that the American citizens of Puerto Rico deserve. We come with facts and the necessary arguments to persuade members of Congress and revert this harsh blow to this industry and our economy. The ban is just another example of Congress' plenary powers over the territories. Just as it established an oversight board over Puerto Rico, it has decided to ban this sport without consulting us," expressed José "Che" Pérez, Chairman of the Committee on Sports and Recreation and Representative for the 18th District (Aguada, Añasco, Moca, Mayagüez, and Rincón) in the Puerto Rico House of Representatives.

"This industry represents thousands of direct jobs for Puerto Rico. The Island is undergoing an economic crisis and this ban negatively impacts our economy. I thank Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón for always fighting for Puerto Rico," said Axel "Chino" Roque, Chairman of the Committee on Education, Youth, Recreation, and Sports and Senator for the District of Guayama in the Puerto Rico Senate.

"The bill that the Resident Commissioner introduced today helps our industry and our economy. Cockfighting is part of our local culture and the Puerto Rico Government has ample laws that regulate this sport," said Senator José "Joito" Pérez of the District of Arecibo, Chairman of the Puerto Rico Senate Committee on Tourism.

"The ban on cockfighting is detrimental for the economy of Puerto Rico. This action by Congress underscores Puerto Rico's colonial status. Today we join Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón in Washington, D.C. to continue fighting and make our case known," affirmed Miguel Laureano, former Director of the Commission on Cockfighting Issues and current Senator for the District of Humacao.

"We are here supporting our resident commissioner, Jenniffer González, with this new bill that seeks to eliminate the amendment that eliminates the cockfighting industry in Puerto Rico because we recognize the economic impact that this would have on the Island, thus becoming a second hurricane for Puerto Rico. We have to do everything possible to prevent this from happening." said Joel I. Franqui Atiles, Representative for the 15th District (Hatillo, Camuy, and Quebradillas) and Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Environmental Affairs in the Puerto Rico House of Representatives.

"The game file breeders uphold this federal overreach on the territories. Not even an impact study has been done before ratifying this outrageous legislation upon people who do not even have full rights as American citizens." Phillip Anderson, member of the Board of Directors of Rural Lifestyle Alliance

Congresswoman González-Colón's bill was cosponsored by Representatives Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (I-Northern Mariana Islands), Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-American Samoa), Stacey Plaskett (D-U.S. Virgin Islands), and Michael San Nicolas (D-Guam).

Since the 2002 Farm Bill, Congress has included similar Animal Welfare Act language. That is, cockfighting is prohibited in the United States but is legal if the state or territory actively regulated the event and the bird is not in interstate commerce.

The Congresswoman denounced that the implications of the cockfighting ban have not been thoroughly examined by Congress and considered a very worrying fact that the territory delegates were not given prior notice nor consulted on the issue.

No public hearings were held, and the economic impact was not analyzed. The territories were not consulted in the drafting of the ban, at any committee markup, or even as a Congressional courtesy.

"Additionally, due to our territorial status, we were not even allowed to vote against this provision, even though we knew how detrimental it would be, since the very beginning of the Farm Bill debates," added González-Colón.

The Congresswoman highlighted the potential repercussions of this ban given that the cockfighting industry represents "a way of life for many of my constituents. I'm worried that it will drive the industry underground and lead to the emergence of a black market, which will undoubtedly do more harm than good to the animals."

González-Colón has been against the cockfighting ban since it was originally considered. She has spoken multiple times against it and will continue to do so.

The cockfighting industry is highly regulated in Puerto Rico by the local government through Law 98 of 2007, which regulates all aspects related to cockfighting, including venues and their construction codes, proper licensing, penalties for unauthorized events, and spectator conduct.

Moreover, according to the Puerto Rico Cockfighting Affairs Office, this industry represents over 12,000 direct jobs, 15,000 indirect jobs, and generates over $18 million in revenues.

The Resident Commissioner underscored that even though some might consider these figures to be insignificant, ignoring them would have devastating effects for Puerto Rico's economy, which is still recovering from the devastation of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. She therefore called to "protect every single source of funding and revenue available to Island residents."

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