Sponsors (91)
The bill strengthens animal-welfare enforcement and speeds local response and deterrence, but imposes higher costs and greater enforcement powers that could financially harm regulated small businesses and raise privacy/procedural concerns.
Small-business owners (animal dealers, exhibitors, research facilities): USDA will conduct stricter inspections and speed enforcement, improving on-site animal care and reducing animal suffering.
State and local governments: will receive violation records within 24 hours, enabling quicker local enforcement actions and faster animal rescues.
Small-business owners (animal dealers, exhibitors, research facilities): clearer and higher civil penalties (including per-violation/per-animal calculations up to $10,000/day) increase deterrence and may raise compliance rates.
Small-business owners (animal dealers, exhibitors, research facilities): face substantially higher compliance costs and the risk of very large fines, which could strain finances, threaten viability, or force closures.
Small-business owners (animal dealers, exhibitors, research facilities): USDA authority to confiscate or destroy animals can cause immediate loss of animals and major business disruption, and owners cannot destroy animals to avoid confiscation once notified.
Small-business owners and local governments: faster sharing of violation records with law enforcement (within 24 hours) could raise privacy and procedural concerns and may trigger rapid public enforcement actions before appeals are resolved.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced January 13, 2025 by Nicole Malliotakis · Last progress January 13, 2025
Strengthens enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act by expanding the definition of violations, requiring annual and follow-up inspections of dealers, exhibitors, research facilities and others, and giving inspectors authority to seize or humanely euthanize animals found to be suffering because of noncompliance. It also speeds sharing of inspection records with state and local authorities and raises civil penalties, making fines up to $10,000 per violation per day, establishing procedural rules for hearings, and adding a $1,500 penalty for knowingly disobeying a cease-and-desist order. The bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture to adopt rules to implement these changes, to document violations in detail, and to ensure timely enforcement actions and appeals, while preserving notice-and-opportunity-to-hear rights and judicial review. It does not appropriate new funds or create new agencies in the text provided.