House can't stop horsing around

Record numbers of people might be without health insurance, but the U.S. House of Representatives had more important issues to tackle today. They passed a bill today to stop people from slaughtering horses to eat them.

Seriously.

3:01 P.M. -
UNFINISHED BUSINESS - The Chair announced that the unfinished business was the question of adoption of the motion to instruct conferees on H.R. 5122, which had been debated earlier and on which further proceedings had been postponed.

H.R. 503:
to amend the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption, and for other purposes

On passage Passed by recorded vote: 263 - 146, 1 Present (Roll no. 433).
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

UPDATE: I didn't think it was possible for this story to get even more ridiculous, but it did. The debate for this bill lasted almost FOUR HOURS!!