I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6100 
To amend the Animal Welfare Act to increase enforcement with respect 
to violations of that Act, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 1, 2021 
Mrs. AXNE (for herself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. QUIGLEY, Ms. MALLIOTAKIS, 
Ms. WILD, and Mr. BUCHANAN) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To amend the Animal Welfare Act to increase enforcement 
with respect to violations of that Act, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. INCREASING USDA ENFORCEMENT OF VIOLA-
TIONS OF ANIMAL WELFARE ACT. 
(a) VIOLATION DEFINED.—Section 2 of the Animal 
Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2132) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(p) The term ‘violation’ means, with respect to a 
provision of this Act or any regulation or standard issued 
thereunder, any deficiency, deviation, or other failure to 
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comply with any such provision or regulation or stand-
ard.’’. 
(b) INSPECTIONS
AND
INVESTIGATIONS.—Section 
16(a) of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2146(a)) is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(a)(1) The Secretary shall determine whether any 
dealer, exhibitor, intermediate handler, carrier, research 
facility, or operator of an auction sale subject to section 
12 of this Act, has violated or is violating any provision 
of this Act or any regulation or standard issued there-
under. 
‘‘(2) The Secretary shall, at all reasonable times, 
have access to the places of business and the facilities, 
animals, and those records required to be kept pursuant 
to section 10 of any such dealer, exhibitor, intermediate 
handler, carrier, research facility, or operator of an auc-
tion sale. 
‘‘(3) The Secretary shall make such inspections and 
investigations necessary to make such a determination and 
shall document and record a detailed description of any 
violation observed during such inspections and investiga-
tions. The Secretary shall inspect each research facility 
and the premises of each dealer, and each exhibitor, in-
cluding any properties, animals, facilities, vehicles, equip-
ments or other premises used or intended for use in an 
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activity subject to regulation under this Act, at least once 
each year and, in the case of any violation of this Act, 
shall conduct such follow-up inspections as may be nec-
essary until all such violations are corrected. 
‘‘(4)(A) The Secretary shall promulgate such rules 
and regulations necessary to require inspectors to con-
fiscate or destroy in a humane manner any animal de-
scribed in subparagraph (B). Such confiscation shall occur 
promptly upon discovery during an inspection or investiga-
tion conducted pursuant to this section of an animal meet-
ing the criteria specified in clause (i) of such subpara-
graph. Any dealer, exhibitor, intermediate handler, or car-
rier that has been notified of the intent of an inspector 
to confiscate such an animal shall be prohibited from de-
stroying that animal, in any manner, and until the Sec-
retary has completed that confiscation, shall be prohibited 
from destroying any other animal in their ownership or 
possession, without prior written consent to do so from 
the Secretary. 
‘‘(B) An animal described in this subparagraph is an 
animal that is— 
‘‘(i) found during an inspection or investigation 
conducted pursuant to this section to be suffering 
physical or psychological harm as a result of a fail-
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