“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Hello and Happy Friday to everyone!

THANK YOU to the over 1300 of you who have taken a moment to take action and let the Senators on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on National Parks know we need S1377 amended! If you have not taken action yet, you can take this one click Call to Action here: https://secure.everyaction.com/T36FlnIDpka4ZwpjPdfCIg2

I wanted to take a moment to explain the process we are currently in as well as the road ahead of us.  I was also able to get additional clarification from Senator Hoeven’s office this morning when I spoke with his staff on the phone. Part of the conversation was to make sure that I emailed our requested amendments to the committee’s Chief Clerk.

THAT is what all of you are now taking action supporting, because as we discussed in great detail, this legislation, as it is written, does not give this herd the protection they need.

We also always talk about the importance of timing.

NOW is the time for the committee to consider those amendments.

We also think this clarification is necessary because as we have been continually working on different aspects of this legislation ALL YEAR. Now, after months of silence, there are suddenly a lot of “experts” coming in and spreading misinformation. As usual, this only creates confusion, which creates more work for us and in the end, only hurts the horses.

As a reminder, we discussed in great detail in a blog series the amendments we are requesting and why. These blogs can be found on the homepage of our website.

Remember we have always said that federal legislation is a LONNNGGGGG process!

I want to reiterate that IF at ANY time during this process there is a vote of NO to move the bill forward, that is it – the bill is dead! 

As a child of the 70’s who watched Saturday morning cartoons – this is a good time to remind everyone to watch the I’m Just a Bill video again.   https://youtu.be/SZ8psP4S6BQ?si=bmd3kYXPOE5Gmlfa There is no easier way to explain this process.

But I will try 😉

In April of this year, Senator Hoeven introduced S1377 – The Theodore Roosevelt National Park Wild Horse Protection Act into this congressional session.  It is important to note that this congressional session ends in January of 2027.

We are now moving forward to the next step in this process.  TUESDAY (12/9/2025), The Energy & Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on National Parks will hold a hearing to receive testimony on several pieces of legislation that pertain to our national parks.  This includes S1377.

The Department of the Interior will be providing testimony on S1377 and Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates has already submitted our testimony to the committee through the Chief Clerk. This is why our Call to Action is short and sweet – we discussed the amendments we were requesting in a blog series earlier.  This allows a short and sweet email to be sent from all of you simply asking that those amendments be implemented in the bill.

You CAN watch the entire hearing on Tuesday at 10 am EST on the committee website: https://www.energy.senate.gov/hearings/2025/12/national-park-subcommittee-to-receive-testimony-on-pending-legislation A recording of the hearing will also be available after the hearing. 

NO VOTES WILL BE TAKEN ON TUESDAY!

Sometime within the next few weeks, the committee will meet again and discuss the testimony they received – INCLUDING ALL OF YOURS! THIS is the first chance for “mark ups” or amendments to be considered. 

Once the discussion is over, the committee will vote on if S1377 should be passed to the full committee.  If they vote yes – then our little bill survived and moves to the next round.  The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hear from members of the Subcommittee on National Parks and they will explain if they want the bill to pass or not.  The committee will then decide if the bill moves forward to the full Senate floor. 

If our little bill gets a yes again, then it goes to the full US Senate floor for a vote.

IF it passes the Senate – YAY!!!

THEN…

Our little bill heads over to the House and the WHOLE process starts ALL OVER AGAIN!

The EXACT same version of the bill has to pass the House AND the Senate.  If there are any changes, both chambers will come together in a committee meeting and discuss and (hopefully) come to an agreement on the final version of what our little bill looks like.

Once our little bill has passed BOTH the House AND the Senate then it is off to the President’s desk for his signature.

The President CAN VETO the bill.

For the sake of a happy ending to our story, the last step for us is that the President signs our little bill.

And then…

Our little bill becomes A LAW!

We have a long way to go to get to that last point. 

It gets overwhelming, I know. 

That is why we will continue to let you know step by step where we are, what needs to be done and when. 

We told you throughout the year that there was still a lot happening, even if it didn’t seem like it.  All the calls we have been making to Congress as we have been working to stay on top of this legislation is what alerted us to the committee meeting on Tuesday!

Think of it like a roller coaster ride.  We all just got buckled in.  The ride operator is letting us know what the rules are.  Tuesday, we start moving! 

We hope that helps explain what is happening and why this moment is so important! 

Just a few reminders:

TODAY is the last day to help us reach our Giving Tuesday campaign goal of $5,000.  We are raising money to help get S1377 passed all the way through the journey we mentioned in this blog.  We are still about $2,000 short of reaching our Giving Tuesday goal.  If you can help with a donation of even $5, you can make your donation here: https://secure.everyaction.com/7asDu6CfkkaLbjUYufMPcQ2

You can also make your donation via PayPal here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=XNYNCNVLTULGC

Our last online silent merchandise auction ends THIS SUNDAY (12/7/2025) There are over 100 items waiting for your bid!  You can view all the items and place your bid here: https://chwha.betterworld.org/auctions/2025-chwha-winter-auction

Lastly, have less than 10 of our CHWHA 2026 calendars left!  You can grab yours while you can here: https://chasinghorses.com/products/chwha-13-month-2026-calendar

Thank you for your support and have a great day!

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