I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4040 
To amend title 49, United States Code, to prohibit the transportation of 
horses in interstate transportation in a motor vehicle containing 2 or 
more levels stacked on top of one another, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 12, 2017 
Mr. COHEN (for himself, Mr. JONES, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. BEYER, Mr. BLU-
MENAUER, Mr. CAPUANO, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, Ms. CLARKE of 
New York, Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. CUM-
MINGS, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. DEUTCH, Ms. 
ESTY of Connecticut, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HARRIS, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. 
KEATING, Mr. KILMER, Mr. KING of New York, Ms. LEE, Mr. TED LIEU 
of California, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mrs. LOWEY, Ms. 
MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. 
MCNERNEY, Ms. MCSALLY, Mr. NADLER, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. NOR-
TON, Mr. POCAN, Mr. POLIS, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mr. PRICE of North 
Carolina, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. SIRES, Ms. SLAUGH-
TER, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Ms. SPEIER, Ms. TITUS, Ms. TSONGAS, 
Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, and Mr. WELCH) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To amend title 49, United States Code, to prohibit the trans-
portation of horses in interstate transportation in a 
motor vehicle containing 2 or more levels stacked on 
top of one another, 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 ‘‘Horse Transportation 
Safety Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. TRANSPORTATION OF HORSES. 
Section 80502 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘This section 
does not’’ and inserting ‘‘Subsections (a) and (b) 
shall not’’; 
(2) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub-
section (e); 
(3) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(d) TRANSPORTATION OF HORSES.— 
‘‘(1) PROHIBITION.—No person may transport, 
or cause to be transported, a horse from a place in 
a State, the District of Columbia, or a territory or 
possession of the United States through or to a 
place in another State, the District of Columbia, or 
a territory or possession of the United States in a 
motor vehicle containing 2 or more levels stacked on 
top of each other. 
‘‘(2) MOTOR VEHICLE DEFINED.—In this sub-
section, the term ‘motor vehicle’— 
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‘‘(A) means a vehicle driven or drawn by 
mechanical power and manufactured primarily 
for use on public highways; and 
‘‘(B) does not include a vehicle operated 
exclusively on a rail or rails.’’; and 
(4) in subsection (e), as redesignated— 
(A) by striking ‘‘A rail carrier’’ and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A rail carrier’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘this section’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘subsection (a) or (b)’’; and 
(C) by striking ‘‘On learning’’ and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(2) TRANSPORTATION OF HORSES IN MULTI-
LEVEL TRAILER.— 
‘‘(A) CIVIL
PENALTY.—A person that 
knowingly violates subsection (d) is liable to the 
United States Government for a civil penalty of 
at least $100, but not more than $500, for each 
violation. A separate violation of subsection (d) 
occurs for each horse that is transported, or 
caused to be transported, in violation of sub-
section (d). 
‘‘(B) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER LAWS.— 
The penalty imposed under subparagraph (A) 
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shall be in addition to any penalty or remedy 
available under any other law or common law. 
‘‘(3) CIVIL ACTION.—On learning’’. 
Æ 
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