[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1887 Engrossed in House (EH)]


  1st Session

                               H. R. 1887

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

   To amend title 18, United States Code, to punish the depiction of 
                            animal cruelty.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1887

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
   To amend title 18, United States Code, to punish the depiction of 
                            animal cruelty.

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

SECTION 1. PUNISHMENT FOR DEPICTION OF ANIMAL CRUELTY.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 3 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 48. Depiction of animal cruelty
    ``(a) Creation, Sale, or Possession.--Whoever knowingly creates, 
sells, or possesses a depiction of animal cruelty with the intention of 
placing that depiction in interstate or foreign commerce for commercial 
gain, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 
years, or both.
    ``(b) Exception.--Subsection (a) does not apply to any depiction 
that has serious religious, political, scientific, educational, 
journalistic, historical, or artistic value.
    ``(c) Definitions.--In this section--
            ``(1) the term `depiction of animal cruelty' means any 
        visual or auditory depiction, including any photograph, motion-
        picture film, video recording, electronic image, or sound 
        recording of conduct in which a living animal is intentionally 
        maimed, mutilated, tortured, wounded, or killed, if such 
        conduct is illegal under Federal law or the law of the State in 
        which the creation, sale, or possession takes place, regardless 
        of whether the maiming, mutilation, torture, wounding, or 
        killing took place in the State; and
            ``(2) the term `State' means each of the several States, 
        the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 
        Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the 
        Northern Mariana Islands, and any other commonwealth, 
        territory, or possession of the United States.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for such chapter is 
amended by adding at the end the following:

``48. Depiction of animal cruelty.''.

            Passed the House of Representatives October 19, 1999.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.