Sponsors (95)
The bill strengthens animal welfare oversight and speeds enforcement to reduce suffering and public health risks, but does so by imposing higher fines, faster confiscation powers, more frequent inspections, and tighter deadlines that raise costs, due-process and privacy concerns for regulated facilities.
Animals held by regulated dealers, exhibitors, and research facilities (and the public) will see faster detection and reduction of severe neglect because facilities will receive at least annual inspections and inspectors can remove or humanely destroy animals suffering severe harm.
Local animal control and law enforcement agencies will be able to act more quickly because USDA must share violation records within 24 hours, enabling faster rescues and enforcement actions.
Dealers, exhibitors, and research facilities will face stronger legal deterrents against animal mistreatment because penalties are increased (up to $10,000 and per-animal calculations), which may reduce violations over time.
Small businesses, nonprofits, and research facilities face substantially higher operating costs and risk of closure because of increased inspection frequency, higher fines, and stricter enforcement.
Dealers, exhibitors, and research facilities may incur very large, potentially disproportionate financial liabilities because violations are treated per day and per animal, leading to rapidly accumulating fines.
Owners and operators (dealers, exhibitors, researchers) risk losing animals immediately through confiscation or destruction during inspections before they can contest findings, causing irreversible operational and financial harm.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires annual USDA inspections of research facilities and dealers/exhibitors, mandates documentation and 24-hour info-sharing, and increases per-animal, per-day penalties and enforcement powers.
Requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to perform annual inspections of research facilities and premises of animal dealers and exhibitors, to document any violations found, and to share violation records with state and local animal control and law enforcement within 24 hours. Strengthens enforcement by treating each violation and each day as a separate offense with civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation per day, authorizes inspectors to confiscate or humanely destroy animals meeting defined suffering criteria, and bars owners from destroying animals after notice. Also changes administrative procedures by allowing verified inspection reports to serve as notice, requiring hearings to be held promptly before a panel that includes at least one veterinarian and two animal care specialists, directing penalties to be calculated per animal and per violation (with limits on reductions), establishing penalty guidelines, imposing a $1,500 penalty for knowingly disobeying cease-and-desist orders, and requiring the Attorney General to pursue unpaid penalties for collection.
Introduced January 13, 2025 by Nicole Malliotakis · Last progress January 13, 2025