[106th Congress Public Law 152]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]


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[DOCID: f:publ152.106]

  

Public Law 106-152
106th Congress

                                 An Act


 
To amend title 18, United States Code, to punish the depiction of animal 
             cruelty. <<NOTE: Dec. 9, 1999 -  [H.R. 1887]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. PUNISHMENT FOR DEPICTION OF ANIMAL CRUELTY.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 3 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:

``Sec. 48. Depiction of animal cruelty

    ``(a) Creation, Sale, or Possession.--Whoever knowingly creates, 
sells, or possesses a depiction of animal cruelty with the intention of 
placing that depiction in interstate or foreign commerce for commercial 
gain, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 
years, or both.
    ``(b) Exception.--Subsection (a) does not apply to any depiction 
that has serious religious, political, scientific, educational, 
journalistic, historical, or artistic value.
    ``(c) Definitions.--In this section--
            ``(1) the term `depiction of animal cruelty' means any 
        visual or auditory depiction, including any photograph, motion-
        picture film, video recording, electronic image, or sound 
        recording of conduct in which a living animal is intentionally 
        maimed, mutilated, tortured, wounded, or killed, if such conduct 
        is illegal under Federal law or the law of the State in which 
        the creation, sale, or possession takes place, regardless of 
        whether the maiming, mutilation, torture, wounding, or killing 
        took place in the State; and
            ``(2) the term `State' means each of the several States, the 
        District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 
        Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the 
        Northern Mariana Islands, and any other commonwealth, territory, 
        or possession of the United States.''.

    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for such chapter is 
amended by adding at the end the following:

``48. Depiction of animal cruelty.''.

    Approved December 9, 1999.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 1887:
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HOUSE REPORTS: No. 106-397 (Comm. on the Judiciary).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 145 (1999):
            Oct. 19, considered and passed House.
            Nov. 19, considered and passed Senate.
WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS, Vol. 35 (1999):
            Dec. 9, Presidential statement.

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