GOP lawmakers seek investigation of animal-welfare group

Sen. Brent Steele and five other Republican lawmakers are asking Indiana's attorney general to investigate an animal welfare group that has opposed several of Steele's controversial agriculture bills.

In a letter Tuesday, Steele and five of his fellow GOP senators asked Attorney General Greg Zoeller to open a consumer protection investigation of the Humane Society of the United States, a national animal advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.

The lawmakers accuse the group of deceptive fundraising practices, saying its advertisements mislead Hoosiers into believing that donations will benefit abandoned pets at local humane society shelters, which are not affiliated with the national group.

"Hoosiers would be well-served to know that their donations may go to high-powered lobbying and public relations experts of a national organization that has attacked institutions, traditions and practices that are part of Indiana's heritage, such as farming, ranching and hunting," the letter says.

It's signed by Steele of Bedford and five other senators: Susan Glick, Jean Leising, Mark Messmer, Carlin Yoder and Jim Tomes.

"This is an obvious political attack from politicians who stand in the way of protecting animals from captive hunts, puppy mills, and factory farms," said Erin Huang, the Humane Society's Indiana state director. "The Humane Society of the United States is transparent in our work and our track record of protecting all animals from cruelty."

Steele was unavailable for comment.

A spokesman for Zoeller said the attorney general's office does not confirm, deny or comment on investigations.

Such an investigation is not unprecedented. The Indiana lawmakers point out in their letter that Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt issued a consumer alert about the group last year and opened an investigation into its fundraising practices.

The Humane Society has since sued Pruitt, accusing him of harassing the group for political reasons because he doesn't agree with the organization's goals.

In Indiana, the group has routinely butted heads with Steele over agriculture bills he has authored or co-authored.

Those measures include a so-called ag-gag bill that could have criminalized whistle-blower activity on Indiana farms, such as recording the inhumane treatment of farm animals.

That measure, which was co-authored by Steele, died in the final hours of the 2013 legislative session, only to be revived in a slightly different form last year. Ultimately, the controversial provisions of the bill were stripped out before it passed.

The Humane Society also opposed Steele's "right to farm" legislation, which he touted as a way to protect family farmers from the attacks of zealot animal-rights and environmental groups opposed to modern farming and livestock-rearing practices.

The Republican-controlled Senate shot down that measure in February amid concerns that it would prevent rules intended to limit pollution from pesticides and protect farm animals from inhumane conditions at industrial mega-farms.

Similar legislation has been proposed at statehouses across the country with support from powerful farming interests and the American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative group that works with business interests to draft "model policies" for state lawmakers to pass.

Call Star reporter Tony Cook at (317) 444-6081. Follow him on Twitter: @indystartony.