DeKALB | A bill that would ban horse slaughtering in the U.S. has been put on hold in Congress.

Because of the current spotlight on nation-wide defense, the bill, House Resolution 503, is not a top priority.

“This month, the big focus is national security,” said Carolyn Weyforth, press secretary for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN).

The majority leader controls the order of the bills and determines which get precedence.

H.R. 503 is in the Committee of Jurisdiction, Weyforth said. “They have to act on it first before anything else can happen.”

Ron Bonjean, spokesperson for Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-IL), said he was not sure exactly what would happen to the bill in the long run, but agreed it has to be considered in a committee before moving on.

The bill would have a considerable impact on DeKalb because it houses one of the three horse-slaughtering plants in the country.

“There are 55 employees who live here and shop here,” said Jim Tucker, general manager of Cavel, the plant in DeKalb. “There’s a lot of impact to the local economy.”

Tucker said their business is beneficial to horses, contrary to popular belief.

“We are interested in animal welfare, and [the bill] would actually reduce animal welfare,” because it would not allow farmers to release old horses that can no longer work, Tucker said.

Tucker also is unsure what will happen to the bill in Congress.

“I’ve given up trying to predict the legislation,” Tucker said. “I’m hoping it would be voted down or not brought up in the Senate.”