[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 559 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 559

To amend the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921, to make it unlawful for 
  any stockyard owner, market agency, or dealer to transfer or market 
            nonambulatory livestock, and for other purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 25, 1993

 Mr. Ackerman (for himself, Mr. Brown of California, Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. 
 Jacobs, Mr. Lantos, Mr. Mfume, Mr. Ravenel, and Mr. Shays) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

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                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921, to make it unlawful for 
  any stockyard owner, market agency, or dealer to transfer or market 
            nonambulatory livestock, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Downed Animal Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. UNLAWFUL STOCKYARD PRACTICES INVOLVING NONAMBULATORY LIVESTOCK.

    Title III of the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921, is amended by 
inserting after section 317 (7 U.S.C. 217a) the following new section:

``SEC. 318. UNLAWFUL STOCKYARD PRACTICES INVOLVING NONAMBULATORY 
              LIVESTOCK.

    ``(a) Definition.--As used in this section, the term `humanely 
euthanized' means to kill an animal by mechanical, chemical, or other 
means that rapidly and effectively renders the animal insensitive to 
pain.
    ``(b) Unlawful Act.--It shall be unlawful for any stockyard owner, 
market agency, or dealer to buy, sell, give, receive, transfer, market, 
or hold nonambulatory livestock unless the livestock has been humanely 
euthanized.''.

SEC. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act and the amendment made by this Act shall become effective 
1 year after the date of enactment of this Act.

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