IB 
Union Calendar No. 468 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4264 
[Report No. 108–756] 
To amend title 18, United States Code, to strengthen prohibitions against 
animal fighting, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 4, 2004 
Mr. GREEN of Wisconsin (for himself, Mr. GALLEGLY, Mr. COBLE, Mr. BART-
LETT of Maryland, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. MEEHAN, and Mr. WEXLER) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary 
OCTOBER 7, 2004 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on May 4, 2004] 
A BILL 
To amend title 18, United States Code, to strengthen 
prohibitions against animal fighting, 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. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Animal Fighting Prohi-
bition Enforcement Act of 2004’’. 
SEC. 2. ENFORCEMENT OF ANIMAL FIGHTING PROHIBI-
TIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 3 of title 18, United States 
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘§ 49. Animal fighting prohibition 
‘‘(a) SPONSORING OR EXHIBITING AN ANIMAL IN AN 
ANIMAL FIGHTING VENTURE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), it shall be unlawful for any person to 
knowingly sponsor or exhibit an animal in an ani-
mal fighting venture, if any animal in the venture 
was moved in interstate or foreign commerce. 
‘‘(2) SPECIAL
RULE
FOR
CERTAIN
STATES.— 
With respect to fighting ventures involving live birds 
in a State where it would not be in violation of the 
law, it shall be unlawful under this subsection for a 
person to sponsor or exhibit a bird in the fighting 
venture only if the person knew that any bird in the 
fighting venture was knowingly bought, sold, deliv-
ered, transported, or received in interstate or foreign 
commerce for the purpose of participation in the 
fighting venture.
‘‘(b) BUYING, SELLING, DELIVERING, OR TRANS-
PORTING ANIMALS FOR PARTICIPATION IN ANIMAL FIGHT-
ING VENTURE.—It shall be unlawful for any person to 
knowingly sell, buy, transport, or deliver, or receive for pur-
poses of transportation, in interstate or foreign commerce, 
any dog or other animal for purposes of having the dog 
or other animal participate in an animal fighting venture. 
‘‘(c) USE OF POSTAL SERVICE OR OTHER INTERSTATE 
INSTRUMENTALITY
FOR PROMOTING ANIMAL FIGHTING 
VENTURE.—It shall be unlawful for any person to know-
ingly use the mail service of the United States Postal Serv-
ice or any instrumentality of interstate commerce for com-
mercial speech promoting an animal fighting venture except 
as performed outside the limits of the States of the United 
States. 
‘‘(d) VIOLATION
OF STATE LAW.—Notwithstanding 
subsection (c), the activities prohibited by such subsection 
shall be unlawful with respect to fighting ventures involving 
live birds only if the fight is to take place in a State where 
it would be in violation of the laws thereof. 
‘‘(e) SHARP INSTRUMENTS.—It shall be unlawful for 
any person to knowingly sell, buy, transport, or deliver in 
interstate or foreign commerce a knife, a gaff, or any other 
sharp instrument attached, or designed or intended to be
attached, to the leg of a bird for use in an animal fighting 
venture. 
‘‘(f) PENALTIES.—Any person who violates subsection 
(a), (b), (c), or (e) shall be fined under this title or impris-
oned for not more than 2 years, or both, for each such viola-
tion. 
‘‘(g) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section— 
‘‘(1) the term ‘animal fighting venture’ means 
any event which involves a fight between at least two 
animals and is conducted for purposes of sport, wa-
gering, or entertainment except that the term ‘animal 
fighting venture’ shall not be deemed to include any 
activity the primary purpose of which involves the 
use of one or more animals in hunting another ani-
mal or animals, such as waterfowl, bird, raccoon, or 
fox hunting; 
‘‘(2) the term ‘instrumentality of interstate com-
merce’ means any written, wire, radio, television or 
other form of communication in, or using a facility 
of, interstate commerce; 
‘‘(3) the term ‘State’ means any State of the 
United States, the District of Columbia, the Common-
wealth of Puerto Rico, and any territory or possession 
of the United States; and