The floor of the US Senate was quite active and over the past six months. The reactions to the "incident" had been widespread and in many cases had been rather negative, mostly out of what had been based off what had been the standard fear that one would expect when it had been made clear that things people would be predisposed to fear had been revealed. However, that blind fear didn't last forever, particularly as werewolves tried to "get control" over the situation. Shows like "The People's Talk" and werewolves like Sharon Barlow did demonstrate that the much of the fear that had been more a creation of myth and Hollywood than truth. That then lead to the exact debating that the Senate had been involved in over granting werewolves equal rights.
When the official debate began, some of the fear related issues were still there, but as more and more information became available, that began to disappear. Opposition remained, but on the official levels it wasn't related to outright hatred or fear of werewolves, at least by conventional thought. The fear that remained wasn't necessarily the fear of being eaten or forcibly turned, but the fear that werewolves wouldn't follow the law or that they needed to be punished for not following the law when no one knew werewolves existed. In this, poaching, public nudity, the legality of people choosing to become werewolves, and related issues had all taken a major role in the debate of late. It was this change that had lead to the speculation that the 2015 Civil Rights Bill, essentially an amendment to the 1964 Civil Rights Act to extend its protection werewolves and other supernatural creatures that might exist, was soon to pass.
Some of that was surprising, but the issue had proved big enough that the partisan bickering that had limited what got passed was put aside, particularly as more pro-werewolf groups began arguing in their favor.
"We can't just give them rights like this!" Alabama's senior Senator angered, "they've all admitted to breaking the law and the fact that they've done so would mean that we can't trust them to follow it now."
Minnesota's junior Senator only sighed. He had found himself in a leadership role with regard to granting werewolves equal rights, partially as a friend of his family had turned out to be a werewolf. Many of the Senators in the opposition really weren't that "anti-werewolf" in that they necessarily to kill them, but had it their minds that werewolves either wouldn't follow the law or had to be punished for crimes committed while no one knew they existed. He could agree that crimes had been committed, but based on what had been explained, he figured that that had only been done to protect their secret. Now that that was no longer possible, he was privately sure that a compromise could be reached.
"They admitted to doing so because they were afraid that we would try to slaughter them if we knew on them," Minnesota's junior Senator repeated for what he felt to be the hundredth time in the debate, "and look at all the yahoos that have gone around and either shot or burned them..."
"No state has authorized that!" the Alabaman insisted.
"I didn't say they did," Minnesota's junior Senator sighed, "according to the news that's all been private yahoos with no common sense."
"It still doesn't change the fact that they've been breaking the law," Texas's junior Senator spoke up, "we can't just let them off the hook for the animals poached."
"Why not? We have the figures on our desks... deer populations have GROWN in the past few years and the population of wild hogs in the southern states are still out of control," Vermont's senior Senator commented.
"That's immaterial to the law," South Dakota's junior Senator argued, "we've passed poaching laws to protect them. The fact that animal populations have been healthy in spite of poaching is irrelevant. They're still breaking the law..."
"Says the man who's introduced SIX bills to deregulate the deer hunting season with regard to normal humans and allow private land owners to determine when deer can be hunted and how many can be hunted," Massachusetts' senior Senator shot at him, "your defense of wildlife in this case is hypocritical in the face of everything else you've proposed on wildlife issues."
"Private landowners know more about what is on their land that the Federal Government does," South Dakota's senior Senator spoke in defense of his colleague, "the best form of government is the government that governs least. All our regulations have done is oppress the people who will behave well... especially when it comes to their own self-interest."
"Or will lead to greater problems when short term greed trumps any sense of balance," Massachusetts' senior Senator argued, "and regardless, the argument you're making now is that we need to heavily regulate werewolves... how is that NOT hypocritical?"
Both South Dakota Senators backed down. While the debate on werewolves had not been as partisan as everything else seemed to be, that didn’t mean it was entirely immune to the issue. Many rural and conservative states were against it, and mostly for what appeared to be more the protection and even expansion of human hunting rights and the protection of the knee-jerk restrictions that had denied werewolves the right to hunt at all by the states. Minnesota’s junior Senator felt it was stupid on their part as he had heard some report that even some of the states had already introduced their own bills that would heavily amend if not annul those initial laws. He also knew there were large numbers of Republicans that were on his side of the debate as well, some not necessarily for the same reasons as him, but they were still on his side of the debate.
"That isn't the issue of why we're debating this," Florida's junior Senator spoke, "and we can compromise on this... Yes they've committed crimes... but maybe they were afraid of us and... maybe they can even "pay" for the granting them of equal rights."
"A compromise?" California's senior Senator asked.
"Yes," Florida's junior Senator nodded, "One we've actually been making progress on all through this debate. We grant them equal rights with humans and deny anyone the right to persecute them outright, which would be fully in line with the Civil Rights Act, but keep appropriate regulations in place..."
"Like what?" South Dakota's junior Senator asked.
"One, the registration laws stay in place, as we've discussed," Florida's junior Senator spoke, "Two, we make the statement that they will be expected to follow all hunting regulations and that issues with regard to the hunting season will be addressed later. Three, offer werewolves an opportunity where they can be of use their powers to benefit us. Four, make sure that granting them equal rights will not mean that they'd get the right to turn people willy-nilly. If people want to become werewolves... they'd need to meet specific regulations first and that they would agree to follow the laws already on the books with regard to werewolves."
"So long as we assure them that we will consider any and all legal offenses before "the incident" to be considered ex post facto and thus no charges to be laid on them?" Minnesota's junior Senator asked.
"Of course," Florida's junior Senator answered, "We'll look the other way on the past with the promise that they will obey the law for the future."
"What on the issue of their nudity?" Texas's senior Senator asked, "we can't turn into a bunch of hippies lettin' people run around naked all the time."
"Well," New Jersey's junior Senator commented, "they really aren't naked... not in the way that we think... They're covered in fur. You all did see the People's Talk last night, right?"
There was a pause while all the others nodded.
"Their fur largely seems to cover everything," New Jersey's junior Senator answered, "You'd REALLY have to be looking in order to notice anything naughty."
"Not to mention that their shifting forms would make clothing impractical," California's senior Senator added, "If make them wear clothing for their human form, they'll shred it when they transform and if we make them wear what will fit their wolf forms, they'll be stuck with clothing much too big for them while in their human form."
"What about clothing that will stretch with them?" South Dakota's junior Senator asked.
"The clothes that stretch won't stretch enough to fit both their human and wolf forms," New York's junior Senator commented, "and since their fur largely covers everything... it's not really an issue to be concerned with."
"About all we could regulate on would be make sure they go somewhere private or in a restroom when they transform and that they don't leave human clothing behind," Florida's junior Senator spoke, "As we've been working with, it's a compromise that balances things out and makes sure that the law will be followed. Wouldn't that settle matters and make sure that we can all do well?"
There were several nods and even some of those that had been in opposition to the bill. Minnesota's junior Senator looked over to the Senate's stenographer who was writing down everything that they had been arguing over hastily.
"Then if we are in agreement," Florida's junior Senator commented, "I believe we are ready to vote on the bill as per the compromises proposed..."