[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8541 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8541

  To amend the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act to provide for 
  criminal penalties for acquiring a wild free-roaming horse or burro 
  with the intention of transferring such animal for processing into 
              commercial products, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 23, 2024

  Mrs. Luna introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act to provide for 
  criminal penalties for acquiring a wild free-roaming horse or burro 
  with the intention of transferring such animal for processing into 
              commercial products, 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 ``Wild Horse Integrity and Slaughter 
Prevention Act''.

SEC. 2. TIME PERIOD BEFORE TITLE GRANTED; CRIMINAL PENALTY.

    The Act of December 15, 1971 (16 U.S.C. 1331, et seq.; commonly 
known as the ``Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act'') is amended as 
follows:
            (1) In section 3(c) (16 U.S.C. 1333(c))--
                    (A) by striking ``period of one year'' and 
                inserting ``period of 6 months''; and
                    (B) by striking ``one-year period'' and inserting 
                ``6-month period''.
            (2) In section 8 (16 U.S.C. 1338)--
                    (A) by striking ``Any person who'' and inserting 
                ``(a) Any person who'';
                    (B) in paragraph (4), by striking ``except as 
                provided in section 3(e),'';
                    (C) by redesignating paragraph (6) as paragraph 
                (8);
                    (D) by inserting after paragraph (5), the 
                following:
            ``(6) acquires a wild free-roaming horse or burro, or the 
        remains thereof, with the intention of transferring such 
        animal, or the remains thereof, directly or indirectly, for 
        processing into commercial products, or
            ``(7) knowingly transfers an acquired wild free-roaming 
        horse or burro, or the remains thereof, directly or indirectly, 
        for processing commercial products, or'';
                    (E) in the matter following paragraph (8), as so 
                redesignated, by striking ``be subject to'' and all 
                that follows through ``United States Code'' and 
                inserting ``have committed a felony offense punishable 
                by a fine of not more than $2,000, imprisonment for a 
                term exceeding one year, or both''; and
                    (F) by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
    ``(b) The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of 
Agriculture, and their respective employees, shall have power to 
investigate possible violations of the offenses listed in subsection 
(a). A finding of non-compliance shall be referred to the Attorney 
General (or one of the U.S. Attorney's offices serving under the 
Attorney General) for prosecution.''.
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