[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8699 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8699

   To amend title 49, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
  Transportation to develop an enforcement mechanism with respect to 
certain provisions relating to the transport of animals, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 11, 2024

Ms. Titus (for herself, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms. Norton, Mr. Cohen, and Mr. 
   Schiff) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
     Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on 
  Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 49, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
  Transportation to develop an enforcement mechanism with respect to 
certain provisions relating to the transport of animals, 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 ``Humane Transport of Farmed Animals 
Act''.

SEC. 2. TRANSPORT OF ANIMALS.

    Section 80502 of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (f); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following:
    ``(d) Enforcement.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this subsection, the Secretary of Transportation, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall develop a 
mechanism for conducting investigations or inspections, including the 
inspection of any vehicle or vessel transporting animals or any written 
or electronic records associated with such transport of animals, to 
determine whether any rail carrier, express carrier, or common carrier, 
a receiver, trustee, or lessee of one of such carriers, or an owner or 
master of a vessel transporting animals has violated or is violating 
this section.
    ``(e) Additional Authority.--To carry out subsection (d), the 
Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Agriculture may 
promulgate such rules and regulations, and issue such orders or 
guidance, as are necessary.''.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON INTERSTATE MOVEMENT OF CERTAIN ANIMALS.

    Section 10406 of the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8305) 
is amended--
            (1) by striking ``The Secretary may prohibit'' and 
        inserting the following:
    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary may prohibit''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(b) Prohibition.--
            ``(1) In general.--No person shall move in interstate 
        commerce livestock that are unfit to travel.
            ``(2) Unfit defined.--
                    ``(A) In general.--For purposes of paragraph (1), 
                the term `unfit to travel' means, with respect to the 
                movement of livestock, that such livestock are deemed 
                unfit to travel pursuant to Article 7.3.7(3), Chapter 
                7.3 of the World Organisation for Animal Health's 
                Terrestrial Animal Health Code, including successive 
                changes.
                    ``(B) Inclusions.--Such term includes livestock 
                that--
                            ``(i) are sick, injured, weak, disabled, or 
                        fatigued;
                            ``(ii) are unable to stand unaided or bear 
                        weight on each leg;
                            ``(iii) are blind in both eyes;
                            ``(iv) cannot be moved without causing 
                        additional suffering;
                            ``(v) are newborn with a navel that has not 
                        been fully healed;
                            ``(vi) are pregnant and that would be in 
                        the final 10 percent of their gestation period 
                        at the planned time of unloading;
                            ``(vii) have given birth within the 
                        previous 48 hours and are traveling without 
                        their offspring; or
                            ``(viii) have a body condition that would 
                        result in poor welfare because of the expected 
                        climatic conditions.
            ``(3) Exception.--Nothing in this subsection shall be 
        construed to limit the movement in interstate commerce of any 
        livestock for purposes of providing veterinary care to such 
        livestock.''.
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