State Sen. Jason Lewis receives Animal Welfare Award

State Senator Jason Lewis was recognized by numerous animal welfare organizations during “Lobby Day for Animals” at the Massachusetts State House on June 7, 2023. Senator Lewis received an award for his many years of championing animal welfare policies and legislation, especially his leadership in ensuring more humane confinement standards for farm animals. Senator Lewis was the lead sponsor of a bill – resoundingly approved by Massachusetts voters in 2016 – requiring minimum humane standards for farm animals, including pigs, calves and egg-laying hens. He also led the effort in the State Senate to update this law in 2021.

“I have long viewed animal welfare and human welfare as two sides of the same coin,” said Senator Lewis. “I’m honored to receive this recognition and will continue to work alongside my colleagues, animal welfare groups, and constituents to protect animal welfare in Massachusetts, including pets, farm animals, and wild animals.”

“At the 2023 Lobby Day for Animals, it is our honor to recognize Senator Lewis – a true champion for animals – for his years-long effort to phase out cruel confinement in the Commonwealth,” said the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Senior Legislative Affairs Manager, Stephanie Harris. “Senator Lewis laid a strong foundation for the successful Question 3 ballot campaign in 2016, and we are eager to celebrate its anticipated full implementation.”

“We are extremely grateful for Senator Lewis’s leadership and long-term support for making the state a more humane place for animals,” said the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty’s Director of Advocacy to Animals, Kara Holmquist. “His unwavering commitment to the plight of farm animals confined in spaces so small they cannot even turn around is appreciated by all those who worked on the ballot question and its upgrade. The MSPCA is continually reminded of how fortunate we are to have him as an ally in the Senate.”

“Lobby Day for Animals” was organized by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the Animal Rescue League of Boston and the Humane Society of the United States.