“A bill to amend the Animal Welfare Act to expand and improve the enforcement capabilities of the Attorney General, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section amends the Animal Welfare Act to strengthen enforcement of standards for the care, handling, transport, sale, exhibition, and use of certain animals by dealers, exhibitors, and research facilities, as follows: (1) rewriting the prohibition on unlicensed activities to bar dealers and exhibitors from exhibiting, purchasing, offering to purchase or sell, selling, transporting, or offering to transport any animal in commerce without a valid, unsuspended license from the Secretary of Agriculture (replacing Section 4); (2) expanding USDA authority for investigations and civil penalties to expressly cover violations of rules, standards, or regulations under the Act (amending Sections 16(c) and 19); (3) authorizing use of penalties and fines to reimburse costs for temporary care of animals pending violation proceedings (adding Section 19(e)); (4) authorizing the Attorney General to bring civil actions—including for injunctions, license revocation, penalties up to $10,000 per violation per day, animal seizure and forfeiture (with cost recovery), and warrants—while preserving USDA authorities (adding new Section 20); (5) eliminating a prior limitation on the Secretary's authority to seek injunctions (amending Section 29(b)); (6) adding a severability clause (new Section 30); and (7) requiring a memorandum of understanding between the Secretary of Agriculture and Attorney General within 180 days of enactment to coordinate enforcement, including information-sharing on repeat violators.
This section expresses the sense of Congress that §16(c) of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2146(c)) establishes federal court jurisdiction over violations of the act—including its rules, standards, and regulations—and authorizes the Attorney General to bring such cases.