In a wave of groundbreaking animal welfare legislation, U.S. states have approved or are considering moves to ban the sale of fur, discourage cosmetics testing on animals, and end cat declawing, among other animal-friendly efforts.

In California yesterday, state senators considered a bill that would make it the first state in the country to ban the import and sale of fur products such as mink shawls, coyote fur-trimmed parkas, and pom-pom keychains made of rabbit fur.

“We’ve seen California voters more than once saying that any product involving animals should be humanely sourced,” says assembly member Laura Friedman, who introduced the statewide bill in her chamber, where it passed in May. Yesterday, it unanimously passed its sixth hearing, during which dozens