I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3946 
To amend the Animal Welfare Act to provide for greater protection of 
roosters, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 12, 2025 
Mr. BACON (for himself, Mr. GROTHMAN, Mr. ZINKE, Mr. GARBARINO, Mr. 
BERGMAN, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. CISCOMANI, Mr. BENTZ, Mr. VAN 
DREW, Ms. MALLIOTAKIS, Mr. WEBSTER of Florida, Mr. AMODEI of Ne-
vada, Mr. FITZGERALD, Mr. CAREY, Mr. BURCHETT, Mr. WITTMAN, Mr. 
HARIDOPOLOS, Mr. BEAN of Florida, Mr. BUCHANAN, Ms. SALINAS, Ms. 
TITUS, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. DAVIS of North Carolina, Mr. 
GOTTHEIMER, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, Ms. 
PEREZ, Mr. MCGARVEY, Ms. PETTERSEN, Mr. CASTEN, Mr. GOLDMAN 
of New York, Ms. HOYLE
of Oregon, Mrs. HARSHBARGER, Ms. 
BARRAGA´N, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. 
SCANLON, Mr. THANEDAR, Mr. SORENSEN, Mr. EVANS of Pennsylvania, 
Ms. NORTON, Ms. MACE, Mr. GOODEN, Mr. NEHLS, Ms. TENNEY, Mrs. 
LUNA, and Ms. SCHAKOWSKY) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To amend the Animal Welfare Act to provide for greater 
protection of roosters, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fighting Inhumane 
Gambling and High-risk Trafficking Act of 2025’’ or the 
‘‘FIGHT Act of 2025’’. 
SEC. 2. ANIMAL FIGHTING. 
(a) DEFINITION OF ROOSTER.—Section 2 of the Ani-
mal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2132) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(p) The term ‘rooster’ means any male member of 
Gallus Domesticus species that is older than 6 months.’’. 
(b) GAMBLING
ON ANIMAL FIGHTING VENTURES 
PROHIBITED.—Section 26 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 
U.S.C. 2156) is amended— 
(1) by striking the section designation and 
header and all that follows through ‘‘It shall be un-
lawful’’ in subsection (a)(2) and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 26. SPONSORING OR EXHIBITING AN ANIMAL IN, AT-
TENDING, CAUSING AN INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS 
NOT ATTAINED THE AGE OF 16 TO ATTEND, 
OR GAMBLING ON, AN ANIMAL FIGHTING 
VENTURE. 
‘‘(a) SPONSORING OR EXHIBITING.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—It shall be unlawful for any 
person to knowingly sponsor or exhibit an animal in 
an animal fighting venture. 
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‘‘(2) ATTENDING OR CAUSING AN INDIVIDUAL 
WHO HAS NOT ATTAINED THE AGE OF 16 TO AT-
TEND.—It shall be unlawful’’; and 
(2) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(3) ANIMAL VENTURE GAMBLING.—It shall be 
unlawful for any person to gamble on an animal 
fighting venture, including an in-person or broadcast 
event.’’. 
(c) USE OF POSTAL SERVICE OR OTHER INTER-
STATE INSTRUMENTALITY TO TRANSPORT ROOSTERS.— 
Section 26(c) of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 
2156(c)) is amended— 
(1) in the subsection heading, by inserting ‘‘OR 
TO TRANSPORT ROOSTERS’’ after ‘‘VENTURE’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘speech for purposes of adver-
tising’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘speech— 
‘‘(1) for purposes of advertising’’; 
(3) in paragraph (1) (as so designated), by 
striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; 
and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) to transport a rooster.’’. 
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(d) CIVIL CITIZEN SUITS; SEIZURE.—Section 26(e) 
of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2156(e)) is amend-
ed— 
(1) by striking the subsection designation and 
heading and all that follows through ‘‘The Secretary 
or any other person authorized by him’’ in the first 
sentence and inserting the following: 
‘‘(e) INVESTIGATIONS; CIVIL CITIZEN SUITS.— 
‘‘(1) INVESTIGATION OF VIOLATIONS BY SEC-
RETARY; ASSISTANCE
BY
OTHER
FEDERAL
AGEN-
CIES; ISSUANCE OF SEARCH WARRANT; FORFEITURE; 
COST RECOVERABLE IN FORFEITURE OR CIVIL AC-
TION.—The Secretary, or any other person author-
ized by the Secretary,’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) CIVIL CITIZEN SUITS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Any person may com-
mence a civil suit in a district court of the 
United States on their own behalf to enjoin any 
person who is alleged to be in violation of any 
provision of this section. 
‘‘(B) AMOUNT OF FINE.—For any person 
found to have violated a provision of this sec-
tion in any suit brought under subparagraph 
(A), the district court may issue a fine in an 
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of right in any civil suit brought under subpara-
graph (A). 
‘‘(G) ATTORNEY’S
FEES.—The court, in 
issuing any final order in any suit brought 
under subparagraph (A), may award costs of 
litigation (including reasonable attorney and ex-
pert witness fees) to any party, whenever the 
court determines such an award is appropriate. 
‘‘(3) SEIZURE.—Whoever is found, pursuant to 
an investigation under paragraph (1), to have vio-
lated subsection (a)(1) shall, in addition to the pen-
alties applicable under paragraph (1), be subject to 
seizure of all real property, including any right, title, 
and interest (including any leasehold interest) in the 
whole of any lot or tract of land and any appur-
tenances or improvements, that is used, or intended 
to be used, in any manner or part, to commit, or to 
facilitate the commission of, a violation of subsection 
(a)(1).’’. 
(e) TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS.— 
(1) Section 26(h) of the Animal Welfare Act (7 
U.S.C. 2156(h)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(h) CONFLICT WITH STATE LAW.—The provisions 
of this Act shall not supersede or otherwise invalidate any 
such State, local, or municipal legislation or ordinance re-
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lating to animal fighting ventures except in case of a direct 
and irreconcilable conflict between any requirements 
thereunder and this Act or any rule, regulation, or stand-
ard hereunder.’’. 
(2) Section 3001(a) of title 39, United States 
Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘(7 U.S.C. 2156),’’ 
before ‘‘is nonmailable’’. 
Æ 
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