I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5566 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit interstate commerce 

in animal crush videos, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 22, 2010 

Mr. GALLEGLY (for himself, Mr. PETERS, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. 

WHITFIELD, Mr. SMITH of Texas, Mr. DJOU, Mr. CASTLE, Mr. DENT, 

Mr. CAMPBELL, Mr. BARTLETT, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. 

POMEROY, Mr. WOLF, Ms. KILROY, Mr. HARPER, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. 

JONES, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. HALL of New 

York, Mr. CRENSHAW, Ms. KOSMAS, Mr. GARY G. MILLER of California, 

Mr. ROYCE, Mr. SHADEGG, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. CULBERSON, Mr. 

LOBIONDO, Mr. GONZALEZ, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. BROWN of South Carolina, Mr. CAMP, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. CARNEY, Ms. JACKSON

LEE of Texas, Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. DEFAZIO, Ms. SUTTON, Mr. KING of 

New York, Mr. COBLE, Mr. LATOURETTE, Mr. FORBES, Mr. SENSENBRENNER, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN, Mr. LEWIS

of California, Mr. CALVERT, Mr. MCKEON, Mr. CARTER, Ms. GRANGER, 

Mr. NEUGEBAUER, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. COLE, Mr. WILSON of South 

Carolina, Mr. SIMPSON, Mr. BUCHANAN, Mr. MICA, Mr. MARIO DIAZBALART of Florida, Mr. HALL of Texas, Mr. STEARNS, Mr. FRANKS of 

Arizona, Mr. BILBRAY, Mr. RADANOVICH, Mr. PASCRELL, Ms. SPEIER, 

Mr. ROE of Tennessee, Mr. ROONEY, Mr. CHAFFETZ, Mr. PUTNAM, Mr. 

DUNCAN, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. FILNER, Mr. UPTON, Mr. ROGERS of Michigan, Mrs. BIGGERT, Mrs. SCHMIDT, Mr. ADERHOLT, Mr. ALEXANDER, 

Mrs. EMERSON, Mr. GRIFFITH, Mr. SCHOCK, Mr. LATTA, Mr. COHEN, 

Mr. BACHUS, Mr. MILLER of Florida, Mr. HUNTER, Mr. KANJORSKI, Mr. 

EHLERS, Mr. RAHALL, Mr. HELLER, Mr. LATHAM, Mr. AKIN, Mr. LINDER, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. LEE of New York, Mr. WELCH, Mr. FARR, Mr. 

QUIGLEY, Mrs. BACHMANN, Mr. TERRY, Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky, Mr. 

KINGSTON, Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida, Mr. LUCAS, Mr. 

COFFMAN of Colorado, Mr. ENGEL, Mrs. MYRICK, Mr. HOEKSTRA, Mr. 

AUSTRIA, Mrs. LUMMIS, Mr. POSEY, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Mr. 

HOLT, Mr. MARCHANT, Mr. CARDOZA, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. LOEBSACK, 

Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. NADLER of New York, Mr. KISSELL, Mr. 

FORTENBERRY, Mr. LANCE, Ms. BORDALLO, Ms. FUDGE, Ms. DELAURO, 

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia, Mr. REICHERT, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, 

Mr. SULLIVAN, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CARNAHAN, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. 


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CARSON of Indiana, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. 

OLSON, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. TEAGUE, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. SHULER, 

Mr. MILLER of North Carolina, Mr. WEINER, Mr. WAMP, Mr. BONNER, 

Mr. TIBERI, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. CROWLEY, 

Mr. CLAY, Mr. HARE, Mrs. DAHLKEMPER, Mr. CLEAVER, Mrs. DAVIS of 

California, Mrs. BONO MACK, Mr. BARTON of Texas, Mr. BRADY of 

Texas, Mr. CAO, Mr. YOUNG of Florida, Ms. FALLIN, Ms. DEGETTE, Mr. 

TIAHRT, Mr. PIERLUISI, Mr. MAFFEI, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. HONDA, Mr. 

GUTIERREZ, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. PAULSEN, 

Ms. CHU, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. PERRIELLO, Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin, Mr. GERLACH, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. VISCLOSKY, Mr. 

DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California, Mr. SESTAK, Mr. ROTHMAN of New 

Jersey, Mr. ANDREWS, Mrs. MILLER of Michigan, Mr. OBERSTAR, Ms. 

SHEA-PORTER, Mr. COSTELLO, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. 

GARAMENDI, Ms. HIRONO, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. PATRICK J. 

MURPHY of Pennsylvania, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. TITUS, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. VAN

HOLLEN, Ms. WOOLSEY, Ms. RICHARDSON, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, 

Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. WALZ, Mr. GORDON of Tennessee, Mr. GUTHRIE, Ms. 

LINDA T. SA ́NCHEZ of California, Ms. JENKINS, Mr. GOODLATTE, Ms. 

LORETTA SANCHEZ of California, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. DELAHUNT, Mr. 

LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. WU, Mr. KIRK, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. POLIS of Colorado, Mr. CANTOR, Mrs. CAPPS, and Mr. INSLEE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit interstate 

commerce in animal crush videos, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Prevention of Inter5 state Commerce in Animal Crush Videos Act of 2010’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The Federal Government and the several 

2 States have a compelling interest in preventing ani3 mal cruelty. 

4 (2) Each of the several States and the District 

5 of Columbia criminalize intentional acts of animal 

6 cruelty. 

7 (3) The clandestine nature of certain acts of 

8 animal cruelty allows the perpetrators of such crimes 

9 to remain anonymous, thus frustrating the ability of 

10 Federal and State authorities to enforce the criminal 

11 statutes prohibiting such behavior. 

12 (4) These criminal acts constitute an integral 

13 part of the production of and market for so-called 

14 crush videos and other depictions of animal cruelty. 

15 (5) The creation and sale of crush videos pro16 vide an economic incentive for, and are intrinsically 

17 related to, the underlying acts of the criminal con18 duct. 

19 (6) The United States has a long history of 

20 prohibiting the interstate sale of obscene and illegal 

21 materials. 

22 (7) Animal crush videos appeal to the prurient 

23 interest and are obscene. 


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1 SEC. 3. ANIMAL CRUSH VIDEOS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 48 of title 18, United 

3 States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

4 ‘‘§ 48. Animal crush videos 

5 ‘‘(a) PROHIBITION.—Whoever knowingly and for the 

6 purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain 

7 sells or offers to sell, or distributes or offers to distribute, 

8 an animal crush video in interstate or foreign commerce 

9 shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 

10 5 years, or both. 

11 ‘‘(b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Subsection (a) does 

12 not prohibit the sale, distribution, or offer for sale or dis13 tribution, of any visual depiction of— 

14 ‘‘(1) customary and normal veterinary or agri15 cultural husbandry practices; or 

16 ‘‘(2) hunting, trapping, or fishing. 

17 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section the term ‘animal 

18 crush video’ means any obscene photograph, motion-pic19 ture film, video recording, or electronic image that depicts 

20 actual conduct in which one or more living animals is in21 tentionally crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, or im22 paled in a manner that would violate a criminal prohibi23 tion on cruelty to animals under Federal law or the law 

24 of the State in which the depiction is created, sold, distrib25 uted, or offered for sale or distribution.’’. 


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1 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The item relating to 

2 section 48 in the table of sections at the beginning of 

3 chapter 3 of title 18, United States Code, is amended to 

4 read as follows: 

‘‘48. Animal crush videos.’’. 

Æ 


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