Legislator seeks to ban double-decker horse trailers

Federal lawmakers are pushing to ban the use of double-decker trailers for transporting horses, after an October 2007 crash in Illinois killed 19 horses.

The horses, owned by Keith Tongen of Brownton, were among 59 being transported in such a trailer. According to the Chicago Tribune, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., is proposing legislation to prevent interstate transportation of any horse in a vehicle with two or more tiers stacked atop one another.

Under the proposed Horse Transportation Safety Act, violators would be fined $100 to $500 for each infraction.

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)