Rep. Robert S. Molaro yesterday postponed consideration of Illinois Senate Bill 1921, which would ban equine slaughter for human consumption in the state of Illinois. Dekalb, Ill., is the home of Cavel International, one of the remaining equine slaughter facilities, recently rebuilt after a fire destroyed the former facility.

The chief sponsors of SB 1921 are Molaro in the House and Sen. Christine Radogno of Lamont, Ill., in the Senate. In addition to banning equine slaughter for human consumption in Illinois, the legislation would make it illegal to transport horses into or out of the state for slaughter.

After the third reading of the bill, and during the House’s voting, Molaro postponed consideration of SB1921, according to an aide in his office. A representative can stand up and postpone consideration if the votes aren’t going in his favored direction in order to take more time and generate support for the legislation. According to the aide, Molaro can request a vote on SB1921 any time before the deadline for the third reading of house bills, which is Friday, April 1.

The original bill–one which would make a technical change in the Agricultural Fair Act–was passed by the Senate about a year ago. At that point, it did not concern equine slaughter. The amendment to the Illinois Horse Meat Act was introduced in late 2003, and was adopted by the House on March 24, 2004. If the SB 1921 were to pass in the House, it would have to again be passed by the Senate as an amended bill