[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6949 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6949

   To amend the Animal Welfare Act to provide further protection for 
                                puppies.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 18, 2008

   Mr. Farr (for himself, Mr. Gerlach, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Everett, Mr. 
   Patrick J. Murphy of Pennsylvania, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Lipinski, Mr. 
Kennedy, Mr. Moore of Kansas, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. Gallegly, 
  Mr. McCotter, Mr. Kirk, Ms. Schakowsky, Mrs. Biggert, Mr. Moran of 
 Virginia, Mr. McGovern, and Ms. McCollum of Minnesota) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Animal Welfare Act to provide further protection for 
                                puppies.

    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 ``Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety 
Act''.

SEC. 2. REGULATION OF HIGH-VOLUME SELLERS OF PUPPIES.

    (a) Retail Pet Store Defined.--Section 2 of the Animal Welfare Act 
(7 U.S.C. 2132) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection:
    ``(p) The term `retail pet store' means a person that--
            ``(1) sells an animal directly to the public for use as a 
        pet; and
            ``(2) does not breed or raise more than 50 dogs for use as 
        pets during any one-year period.''.
    (b) Licenses.--Section 3 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2133) 
is amended in the second proviso--
            (1) by striking ``retail pet store or other person who'' 
        and inserting ``retail pet store, or other person who (1) does 
        not breed or raise more than 50 dogs for use as pets during any 
        one-year period, and (2)''; and
            (2) by striking ``research facility'' and inserting 
        ``research facility,''.
    (c) Humane Standards.--Section 13 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 
U.S.C. 2143) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (g) and (h) as subsections 
        (h) and (i), respectively;
            (2) by redesignating the second subsection (f) as 
        subsection (g); and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(j)(1) Subject to paragraph (2), a dealer shall provide each dog 
held by such dealer that is of the age of 12 weeks or older with a 
minimum of two exercise periods during each day for a total of not less 
than one hour of exercise during such day. Such exercise shall include 
removing the dog from the dog's primary enclosure and allowing the dog 
to walk for the entire exercise period, but shall not include use of a 
treadmill, catmill, jenny mill, slat mill, or similar device, unless 
prescribed by a doctor of veterinary medicine.
    ``(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a dog certified by a doctor 
of veterinary medicine, on a form designated by and submitted to the 
Secretary, as being medically precluded from exercise.''.

SEC. 3. EFFECT ON STATE LAW.

    The amendments made by this Act shall not be construed to preempt 
any law or regulation of a State or a political subdivision of a State 
containing requirements that are greater than the requirements of the 
amendments made by this Act.
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