I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2742 
To amend the Animal Welfare Act to provide for greater protection of 
roosters, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 20, 2023 
Mr. BACON (for himself, Ms. SALINAS, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. 
MIKE GARCIA of California, Ms. CROCKETT, Ms. MACE, Mr. DOGGETT, 
Mr. BUCHANAN, Mr. AMODEI, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. CAREY, Mr. GOODEN 
of Texas, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, Mr. KEAN of New Jersey, Mr. 
NEGUSE, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Ms. TITUS, Mr. QUIGLEY, and Mr. DAVIS of 
North Carolina) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight 
and Accountability, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
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, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fighting Inhumane 
Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking Act’’ or the 
‘‘FIGHT Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF ROOSTER. 
Section 2 of the Animal 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 older than 6 months.’’. 
SEC. 3. USE OF POSTAL SERVICE OR OTHER INTERSTATE 
INSTRUMENTALITY TO TRANSPORT ROOST-
ERS. 
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 ‘‘INSTRUMEN-
TALITY’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘for purposes of advertising’’ 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) for purposes of advertising’’; 
(3) by striking ‘‘United States.’’ and inserting 
‘‘United States; or’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) to transport a rooster.’’. 
SEC. 4. ANIMAL FIGHTING VENTURE SIMULCASTING PRO-
HIBITED. 
Section 26(a) of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 
2156(a)) is amended— 
(1) in the subsection heading by striking 
‘‘SPONSORING OR EXHIBITING AN ANIMAL IN, AT-
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TENDING, OR CAUSING AN INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS 
NOT ATTAINED THE AGE OF 16 TO ATTEND, AN 
ANIMAL FIGHTING VENTURE’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing: ‘‘SPONSORING OR EXHIBITING AN ANIMAL 
IN, ATTENDING, CAUSING A MINOR TO ATTEND, OR 
SIMULCASTING AN ANIMAL FIGHTING VENTURE’’; 
and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) ANIMAL
VENTURE
SIMULCASTING.—No 
person shall transmit or receive international, inter-
state or intrastate simulcasting of an animal fight-
ing venture in the United States or any territory of 
the United States.’’. 
SEC. 5. CIVIL CITIZEN SUITS; SEIZURE. 
Section 26(e) of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 
2156(e)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘INVESTIGATION
OF VIOLA-
TIONS BY SECRETARY;’’ and all that follows through 
‘‘The Secretary or any other person authorized by 
him’’ 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; 
COSTS RECOVERABLE IN FORFEITURE OR CIVIL AC-
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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 Federal district court on 
their own behalf to enjoin any person who is al-
leged 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 pursuant to subpara-
graph (A), the court may issue a fine in an 
amount not greater than $5,000 for each viola-
tion. 
‘‘(C) LIMITATION.—No action may be 
commenced under subparagraph (A)— 
‘‘(i) prior to 60 days after written no-
tice of the violation has been given to the 
Secretary, and to any alleged violator of 
any such provision; 
‘‘(ii) if the Secretary has commenced 
an action to impose a penalty pursuant to 
paragraph (1); or 
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‘‘(iii) if the United States has com-
menced, and is diligently prosecuting, a 
criminal action in a court of the United 
States or a State to redress a violation of 
any provision of this section. 
‘‘(D) JURISDICTION.—Any suit under this 
paragraph may be brought in the judicial dis-
trict in which the violation occurs. In any such 
suit under this paragraph, the Attorney Gen-
eral, at the request of the Secretary, may inter-
vene on behalf of the United States as a matter 
of right. 
‘‘(E) ATTORNEY’S
FEES.—The court, in 
issuing any final order in any suit brought pur-
suant to subparagraph (A), may award costs of 
litigation (including reasonable attorney and ex-
pert witness fees) to any party, whenever the 
court determines such award is appropriate. 
‘‘(3) SEIZURE.—Whoever is found, pursuant to 
an investigation under paragraph (1) of this sub-
section, to have violated subsection (a)(1) shall, in 
addition to such penalties applicable under para-
graph (1) of this subsection, be subject to seizure of 
all real property, including any right, title, and in-
terest (including any leasehold interest) in the whole 
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of any lot or tract of land and any appurtenances 
or improvements, which is used, or intended to be 
used, in any manner or part, to commit, or to facili-
tate the commission of, a violation of subsection 
(a)(1).’’. 
SEC. 6. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 
(a) AGRICULTURAL ACT OF 2014.—Effective as if in-
cluded in the enactment of the Agricultural Act of 2014 
(Public Law 113–79), section 12308(b)(1) of such Act is 
amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; and 
(2) by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(B) in paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(i) in the heading, by striking ‘In 
General’ and inserting ‘Sponsoring or Ex-
hibiting’; and 
‘‘(ii) by striking ‘paragraph (2)’ and 
inserting ‘paragraph (3)’; 
‘‘(C) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 
paragraph (3); and 
‘‘(D) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 
following: 
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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 for any person to— 
‘‘ ‘(A) knowingly attend an animal fighting 
venture; or 
‘‘ ‘(B) knowingly cause an individual who 
has not attained the age of 16 to attend an ani-
mal fighting venture.’.’’. 
(b) ANIMAL WELFARE ACT.—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-
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.’’. 
(c) NONMAILABLE MATTER.—Section 3001(a) of 
title 39, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘title 
18,’’ and all that follows through the period at the end 
and inserting the following: ‘‘title 18, or section 26 of the 
Animal Welfare Act, is nonmailable.’’. 
Æ 
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