[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 503 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 503

  To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit certain conduct 
          relating to the use of horses for human consumption.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 14, 2009

  Mr. Conyers (for himself, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. Ackerman, Ms. 
Berkley, Mr. Bilbray, Mrs. Bono Mack, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Brown of South 
    Carolina, Mr. Capuano, Mr. Castle, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Cummings, Mr. 
  DeFazio, Mr. Delahunt, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Gallegly, Mr. Gerlach, Mr. 
Grijalva, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Hall of New York, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Inglis, 
 Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. Jones, Mr. King of New York, Mr. Kirk, 
Mr. Klein of Florida, Mr. Kucinich, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. LoBiondo, 
Ms. Zoe Lofgren of California, Mrs. Maloney, Mrs. McCarthy of New York, 
   Mr. McCotter, Mr. McGovern, Mr. George Miller of California, Mr. 
Mitchell, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. Moran of Virginia, Mr. Patrick J. 
Murphy of Pennsylvania, Mr. Nadler of New York, Mr. Payne, Mr. Platts, 
 Mr. Rahall, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Rothman of New Jersey, Mr. Ruppersberger, 
 Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Sherman, Mr. 
Smith of New Jersey, Ms. Sutton, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, 
  Ms. Watson, Mr. Wexler, Mr. Whitfield, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Wu, and Mr. 
Young of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit certain conduct 
          relating to the use of horses for human consumption.

    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 ``Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 
2009''.

SEC. 2. SLAUGHTER OF HORSES FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 3 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 50. Slaughter of horses for human consumption
    ``(a) Except as provided in subsection (b), whoever knowingly--
            ``(1) possesses, ships, transports, purchases, sells, 
        delivers, or receives, in or affecting interstate commerce or 
        foreign commerce, any horse with the intent that it is to be 
        slaughtered for human consumption; or
            ``(2) possesses, ships, transports, purchases, sells, 
        delivers, or receives, in or affecting interstate commerce or 
        foreign commerce, any horse flesh or carcass or part of a 
        carcass, with the intent that it is to be used for human 
        consumption;
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years 
or both.
    ``(b) If--
            ``(1) the defendant engages in conduct that would otherwise 
        constitute an offense under subsection (a);
            ``(2) the defendant has no prior conviction under this 
        section; and
            ``(3) the conduct involves less than five horses or less 
        than 2000 pounds of horse flesh or carcass or part of a 
        carcass;
the defendant shall, instead of being punished under that subsection, 
be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or 
both.
    ``(c) As used in this section, the term `horse' means any member of 
the family Equidae.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 3 of 
title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following new item:

``50. Slaughter of horses for human consumption.''.
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