What is HR503 / S311?

As you may have guessed, it's all about horses. The current bills to protect America's horses from the inhumane transport and slaughter, many while still alive and conscious, of over 100,000 mostly young and healthy horses last year for export to use for human consumption. Yes. Horse steaks being shipped overseas for fine dining in Belgium and Japan. Yeah, we don't like that. Not one bit. Over 80% of American's vehemently oppose this horrific practice. This has been worked on by legislators and supporters for going over ten years now. California outlawed slaughter of horses ten years ago. Yet, they still are trucked over the borders ny 'kill buyers'. Why is this atrocity going on in the U.S. still? For one thing, lack of public information about the ugly practice of slaughtering horses, the plants choose to call "harvesting". There are only three slaughterhouses left in the U.S. that still slaughter horses. [edit 9/07: the 3 have now been closed due to legislation in those states, IL & TX, but we STILL must enact federal legislation, as they are being shipped by the thousands to Mexico and Canada, where conditions are even worse] It is a long, hellish ride to a horrible death for these horses - packed like sardines in double-decker semis without food or water. Sometimes the trip is a thousand miles or more.