[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4601 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4601

To establish an Animal Cruelty Crimes Section within the Department of 
  Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 16, 2020

 Mr. Braun (for himself, Mr. Whitehouse, Ms. McSally, Mr. Blumenthal, 
 and Mr. Kennedy) introduced the following bill; which was read twice 
             and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish an Animal Cruelty Crimes Section within the Department of 
  Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division, 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 ``Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act of 
2020''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) There is a significant connection between animal 
        cruelty and violence against humans, domestic violence, child 
        abuse, sexual abuse, homicide, gang activity, drug trafficking, 
        and other crimes.
            (2) Animal fighting activity may increase the spread of 
        diseases transmitted between animals and people.
            (3) A number of Federal laws have been enacted to address 
        cruelty to animals.
            (4) Recognizing the connection between animal cruelty and 
        serious crimes the Federal Bureau of Investigation tracks 
        animal cruelty crimes.
            (5) There is bipartisan and widespread public support for 
        addressing animal cruelty.
            (6) There is a government interest in ensuring laws are 
        robustly enforced for the betterment and protection of society.
            (7) The lack of a dedicated animal crimes enforcement unit 
        within the Department of Justice has resulted in unacceptable 
        delays in prosecutions, and an overall lack of prosecution, of 
        animal crimes.
            (8) Dedicated staff and resources at the Department of 
        Justice will facilitate successful enforcement of animal 
        cruelty laws, which often have unique investigative elements, 
        by providing specialized knowledge and focus, and streamlining 
        the handling of these offenses.

SEC. 3. ANIMAL CRUELTY CRIMES SECTION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established an Animal Cruelty Crimes 
Section within the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the 
Department of Justice to enforce Federal laws prohibiting animal 
cruelty under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Animal Cruelty Crimes Section is 
to enforce Federal laws prohibiting animal cruelty under the 
jurisdiction of the Department of Justice and to vigorously pursue 
investigations and prosecutions under such laws.
    (c) Coordination.--The Animal Cruelty Crimes Section shall 
coordinate with the Department of Agriculture, the Office of Inspector 
General of the Department of Agriculture, the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation, the United States Marshals Service, U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection, and other agencies, as appropriate.
    (d) Report.--On the date that is 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Animal Cruelty Crimes Section 
shall submit to Congress a report on, for the previous year--
            (1) the number of charges that were filed for violations of 
        laws described in subsection (b), disaggregated by the law 
        alleged to have been violated, the State in which the violation 
        was alleged to have occurred, and the number of convictions; 
        and
            (2) the number of investigations of violations of laws 
        described in subsection (b) for which charges were not filed.
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