SAFE Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-2037
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2023-06-15
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Latest action: action_date: 2023-06-15
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-06-15
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Save America's Forgotten Equines Act of 2023 or the SAFE Act of 2023</b></p> <p>This bill permanently prohibits the slaughter of equines (e.g., horses and mules) for human consumption. (Current law prohibits the slaughter of dogs and cats for human consumption. This bill extends the prohibition to equines.) </p> <p>Specifically, this bill prohibits a person from knowingly </p> <ul> <li>slaughtering an equine for human consumption; or </li> <li>shipping, transporting, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donating an equine to be slaughtered for human consumption or equine parts for human consumption.</li> </ul> <p>The bill subjects a violator to a fine.</p> <p>The bill applies to conduct in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. However, it does not apply to an activity carried out by an Indian for a religious ceremony.</p> <p>In recent years, appropriations acts have prohibited the Department of Agriculture (USDA) from using federal funds to inspect horses before they are slaughtered for human consumption. Therefore, there are currently no USDA-inspected horse slaughter facilities in the United States.</p>

tv_txt: II 118th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 2037 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 15, 2023 Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Graham , Mr. Whitehouse , Ms. Collins , Mrs. Feinstein , Mr. Rubio , Mr. Blumenthal , Mr. Kennedy , Mr. Booker , and Mr. Fetterman ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry A BILL To amend the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 to prohibit the slaughter of equines for human consumption.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Save America’s Forgotten Equines Act of 2023 or the SAFE Act of 2023 . 2. Prohibition on slaughter of equines for human consumption Section 12515 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 ( 7 U.S.C. 2160 ) is amended— (1) in the section heading, by striking dogs and cats and inserting dogs, cats, and equines ; and (2) in subsection (a), by striking a dog or cat each place it appears and inserting a dog, cat, or equine .