Sponsors (92)
The bill strengthens oversight and speeds intervention to improve animal welfare and enforcement, but does so by imposing heavier fines, quicker confiscation powers, and new administrative burdens that could financially and operationally strain small operators and raise property-rights concerns.
Dealers, exhibitors, research facilities, and state/local authorities will receive stronger, more consistent federal oversight through annual inspections, mandated follow-ups, and 24-hour violation reporting, improving animal care standards and enforcement coordination.
Animals in regulated facilities (including pets, research animals, and animals held by dealers/exhibitors) will get faster intervention and removal when inspectors find harm, reducing suffering and improving welfare outcomes.
Regulated entities face higher civil penalties and clearer enforcement procedures, creating stronger deterrents against animal welfare violations.
Dealers, exhibitors, research facilities and especially small businesses and nonprofits face much higher compliance costs and potentially crippling fines (up to $10,000 per violation per day with per-animal multipliers), which could produce very large liabilities and increase bankruptcy risk.
Owners (including research facilities and small-business owners) risk rapid loss of animals under expedited confiscation rules before appeals are exhausted, creating property-rights concerns and operational disruption.
Mandatory yearly inspections and immediate reporting to local authorities increase administrative burden on regulated facilities and may strain USDA inspection resources and local enforcement capacity.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Strengthens the Animal Welfare Act by expanding inspections, allowing confiscation/destruction of suffering animals, mandating quick reporting to local authorities, and increasing civil penalties to up to $10,000 per violation per day.
Introduced January 13, 2025 by Nicole Malliotakis · Last progress January 13, 2025
Strengthens enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act by expanding inspections, requiring annual inspections of research facilities, dealers, and exhibitors, and defining any failure to follow the law or regulations as a “violation.” It requires USDA inspectors to document violations, perform follow-up inspections until problems are fixed, confiscate or humanely destroy animals found suffering from harm due to noncompliance, and prohibit owners from destroying animals once USDA begins action. USDA must also share violation records with state and local animal control or law enforcement within 24 hours. The bill raises civil penalties and enforcement tools: it allows fines up to $10,000 per violation per day, adds a $1,500 penalty for knowingly disobeying cease-and-desist orders, requires expedited hearings (generally within 21 days), sets rules for how penalties are calculated and limited, and lets the Department of Justice collect unpaid penalties. It also requires USDA to designate an official to issue penalty guidelines.