Greyhound Protection Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.3335 | Sponsor: Rep. Cárdenas, Tony (D-CA)
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Greyhound Protection Act of 2021
This bill modifies the federal criminal statute commonly known as the Wire Act.
Currently, the Wire Act contains four prohibitions on the use of a wire transmission facility (e.g., the telephone or internet) for certain gambling activities. All four prohibitions apply to sports gambling. However, there have been conflicting interpretations of the applicability of the prohibitions to nonsports gambling (e.g., state lotteries).
This bill amends the Wire Act to expressly state that the statute does not authorize the use of wire communications to gamble on commercial greyhound racing or permit the transport of animals for commercial dog racing or related activities.

To amend the Wire Act to clarify that gambling on commercial greyhound 
   racing and field coursing using wire communication technology is 
                              prohibited.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Greyhound Protection Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS AND POLICY.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Greyhounds have existed for thousands of years and are 
        the only canines mentioned by name in the Bible.
            (2) Commercial greyhound racing was first legalized in 
        Florida in 1931.
            (3) Modern racetracks require internet-based wire 
        communications to process bets and wagers, calculate odds, 
        broadcast races, announce results, and pay winnings to 
        gamblers.
            (4) Public records reveal that some greyhounds used for 
        live commercial racing suffer serious injuries including broken 
        backs, broken necks, head trauma, paralysis, seizures, and 
        electrocution.
            (5) State records show that some racing greyhounds test 
        positive for drugs including cocaine, amphetamines, 
        barbituates, opiods, and steroids.
            (6) State investigatory files document that racing 
        greyhounds are kept confined for 20-23 hours a day in stacked, 
        metal cages, typically with little opportunity to socialize 
        with other dogs.
            (7) Many small animals, including but not limited to 
        rabbits and hares, are bought, sold, delivered, transported, 
        and received in interstate and foreign commerce for use as live 
        bait in the training of racing greyhounds and in open field 
        coursing.
            (8) Typically, animals used in the live lure training of 
        greyhounds may be dragged on ropes, hung from a horizontal pole 
        which rotates around a training track or simply set loose to be 
        chased and mauled. Alive or dead, helpless bait animals may be 
        used repeatedly until they are torn apart.
            (9) Live lure training is prohibited in more than a dozen 
        States, but there is no Federal statute. In the late 1970's, 
        the National Greyhound Association, a membership organization 
        representing breeders, trainers and other industry 
        participants, announced a policy against live lure training in 
        order to convince then-Senators Birch Bayh and Robert Dole to 
        withdraw their proposed legislation.
            (10) Open field coursing preceded commercial dog racing and 
        is an activity in which greyhounds or other sighthounds are 
        released to pursue and kill bait animals, often in a fenced 
        area. Greyhounds often collide and suffer injuries in the 
        chase.
            (11) Dog owners travel from multiple States and countries 
        to compete and win prizes and sometimes gamble on open field 
        coursing events.
            (12) As with commercial greyhound racing, internet sites 
        are used to promote coursing tournaments and post results to a 
        worldwide audience.
            (13) The National Field Coursing Association is the 
        umbrella group for coursing clubs nationwide and had 12 clubs 
        in California as of 2006.
            (14) Open field coursing is illegal in as many as 12 
        States.
            (15) Open field coursing was prohibited as a blood sport in 
        Scotland in 2002 and in the United Kingdom in 2004.
            (16) Twenty-five years ago, there were 60 greyhound tracks 
        in the United States. Once a voter-approved ballot measure 
        prohibiting greyhound racing takes full effect in Florida in 
        2020 and the voluntary shut down of Southland Park in Arkansas 
        takes place as of 2022, no more than 5 tracks will remain 
        throughout the country.
            (17) According to the State of Florida, track owners had 
        been collectively losing more than $30 million annually because 
        of sagging attendance and decreased wagering. According to a 
        State-commissioned report, the State spent more money 
        regulating the industry in its national hub than it generated 
        in tax revenue.
            (18) As of December 31, 2022, live commercial dog racing 
        will be illegal in 41 States. This dying industry will remain 
        legal and operational in no more than 4 States.
    (b) Policy.--It is the policy of the Congress in this chapter to 
prohibit the use of wire communications for the purpose of gambling on 
live, commercial greyhound racing and open field coursing events and to 
prohibit the transport of animals including but not limited to 
greyhounds, rabbits, and hares in interstate and foreign commerce in 
furtherance of these activities.

SEC. 3. PROTECTION OF GREYHOUNDS.

     Section 1084 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following new section:
    ``(f) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to 
authorize gambling on commercial greyhound racing taking place 
domestically or internationally using wire communications or to permit 
the transport of animals for the purpose of conducting or furthering 
commercial dog racing, live lure training or field coursing.''.

SEC. 4. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

    Nothing in this Act, or the amendments made by this Act, shall be 
construed--
            (1) to preempt any State law prohibiting gambling or 
        protecting the welfare of animals including but not limited to 
        greyhounds, rabbits, and hares; or
            (2) to alter, limit, or extend the relationship between the 
        Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 (15 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.) as 
        it relates to horse racing and other Federal laws in effect on 
        the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendment made by section 3 shall take effect on December 31, 
2022.
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