[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 503 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 503

      To amend the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, 
 transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, 
selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for 
               human consumption, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 1, 2005

  Mr. Sweeney (for himself, Mr. Spratt, Mr. Whitfield, Mrs. Bono, Mr. 
Brown of Ohio, Mr. Cox, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Engel, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Ferguson, 
  Mr. Gene Green of Texas, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Towns, Mr. Gallegly, Mr. 
Moran of Virginia, and Mr. Shays) introduced the following bill; which 
          was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
      To amend the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, 
 transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, 
selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for 
               human consumption, 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. PROHIBITION ON SHIPPING, TRANSPORTING, MOVING, DELIVERING, 
              RECEIVING, POSSESSING, PURCHASING, SELLING, OR DONATION 
              OF HORSES AND OTHER EQUINES FOR SLAUGHTER FOR HUMAN 
              CONSUMPTION.

    (a) Definitions.--Section 2 of the Horse Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 
1821) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), (3), and (4) as 
        paragraphs (2), (3), (5), and (6), respectively;
            (2) by inserting before paragraph (2), as so redesignated, 
        the following new paragraph:
            ``(1) The term `human consumption' means ingestion by 
        people as a source of food.''; and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (3), as so redesignated, 
        the following new paragraph:
            ``(4) The term `slaughter' means the killing of one or more 
        horses or other equines with the intent to sell or trade the 
        flesh for human consumption.''.
    (b) Findings.--Section 3 of the Horse Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 
1822) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (5) as 
        paragraphs (6) through (10), respectively;
            (2) by adding before paragraph (6), as so redesignated, the 
        following new paragraphs:
            ``(1) horses and other equines play a vital role in the 
        collective experience of the United States and deserve 
        protection and compassion;
            ``(2) horses and other equines are domestic animals that 
        are used primarily for recreation, pleasure, and sport;
            ``(3) unlike cows, pigs, and many other animals, horses and 
        other equines are not raised for the purpose of being 
        slaughtered for human consumption;
            ``(4) individuals selling horses or other equines at 
        auctions are seldom aware that the animals may be bought for 
        the purpose of being slaughtered for human consumption;
            ``(5) the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the 
        Department of Agriculture has found that horses and other 
        equines cannot be safely and humanely transported in double 
        deck trailers;''; and
            (3) by striking paragraph (8), as so redesignated, and 
        inserting the following new paragraph:
            ``(8) the movement, showing, exhibition, or sale of sore 
        horses in intrastate commerce, and the shipping, transporting, 
        moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, 
        or donation in intrastate commerce of horses and other equines 
        to be slaughtered for human consumption, adversely affect and 
        burden interstate and foreign commerce;''.
    (c) Prohibition.--Section 5 of the Horse Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 
1824) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (8) through (11) as 
        paragraphs (9) through (12), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph 7 the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(8) The shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, 
        receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of any 
        horse or other equine to be slaughtered for human 
        consumption.''.
    (d) Authority to Detain.--Section 6(e) of the Horse Protection Act 
(15 U.S.C. 1825(e)) is amended--
            (1) by striking the first sentence of paragraph (1);
            (2) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) and as 
        paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively; and
            (3) by inserting before paragraph (2), as so redesignated, 
        the following new paragraph:
    ``(1) The Secretary may detain for examination, testing, or the 
taking of evidence--
            ``(A) any horse at any horse show, horse exhibition, or 
        horse sale or auction which is sore or which the Secretary has 
        probable cause to believe is sore; and
            ``(B) any horse or other equine which the Secretary has 
        probable cause to believe is being shipped, transported, moved, 
        delivered, received, possessed, purchased, sold, or donated in 
        violation of section 5(8).''.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 12 of the Horse 
Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 1831) is amended by striking ``$500,000'' and 
inserting ``$5,000,000''.
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