119-hr3946

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3946 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 3946

 To amend the Animal Welfare Act to provide for greater protection of 
 roosters, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 June 12, 2025

 Mr. Bacon (for himself, Mr. Grothman, Mr. Zinke, Mr. Garbarino, Mr. 
 Bergman, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Ciscomani, Mr. Bentz, Mr. Van Drew, Ms. 
 Malliotakis, Mr. Webster of Florida, Mr. Amodei of Nevada, Mr. 
Fitzgerald, Mr. Carey, Mr. Burchett, Mr. Wittman, Mr. Haridopolos, Mr. 
Bean of Florida, Mr. Buchanan, Ms. Salinas, Ms. Titus, Mr. Quigley, Mr. 
 Doggett, Mr. Davis of North Carolina, Mr. Gottheimer, Mr. Carter of 
 Louisiana, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Ms. Perez, Mr. McGarvey, Ms. 
 Pettersen, Mr. Casten, Mr. Goldman of New York, Ms. Hoyle of Oregon, 
 Mrs. Harshbarger, Ms. Barragan, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Mr. 
 Krishnamoorthi, Ms. Scanlon, Mr. Thanedar, Mr. Sorensen, Mr. Evans of 
Pennsylvania, Ms. Norton, Ms. Mace, Mr. Gooden, Mr. Nehls, Ms. Tenney, 
Mrs. Luna, and Ms. Schakowsky) introduced the following bill; which was 
 referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

 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 Representatives 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 of 2025'' or the ``FIGHT Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. ANIMAL FIGHTING.

    (a) 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 that is older than 6 months.''.

    (b) Gambling on Animal Fighting Ventures Prohibited.--

Section 26 of 
the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2156) is amended--

    (1) by striking the section designation and header and all 
 that follows through ``It shall be unlawful'' in subsection

    (a)

    (2) and inserting the following:

``

SEC. 26. SPONSORING OR EXHIBITING AN ANIMAL IN, ATTENDING, CAUSING AN 
 INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS NOT ATTAINED THE AGE OF 16 TO ATTEND, 
 OR GAMBLING ON, AN ANIMAL FIGHTING VENTURE.

 ``

    (a) Sponsoring or Exhibiting.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--It shall be unlawful for any person to 
 knowingly sponsor or exhibit an animal in an animal fighting 
 venture.
 ``

    (2) Attending or causing an individual who has not 
 attained the age of 16 to attend.--It shall be unlawful''; and

    (2) in subsection

    (a) , by adding at the end the following:
 ``

    (3) Animal venture gambling.--It shall be unlawful for 
 any person to gamble on an animal fighting venture, including 
 an in-person or broadcast event.''.
            (c) Use of Postal Service or Other Interstate Instrumentality To 
Transport Roosters.--

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 ``Venture'';

    (2) by striking ``speech for purposes of advertising'' and 
 inserting the following: ``speech--
 ``

    (1) for purposes of advertising'';

    (3) in paragraph

    (1) (as so designated), by striking the 
 period at the end and inserting ``; or''; and

    (4) by adding at the end the following:
 ``

    (2) to transport a rooster.''.
            (d) Civil Citizen Suits; Seizure.--

Section 26

    (e) of the Animal 
Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2156

    (e) ) is amended--

    (1) by striking the subsection designation and heading and 
 all that follows through ``The Secretary or any other person 
 authorized by him'' in the first sentence and inserting the 
 following:
 ``

    (e) Investigations; Civil Citizen Suits.--
 ``

    (1) Investigation of violations by secretary; assistance 
 by other federal agencies; issuance of search warrant; 
 forfeiture; cost recoverable in forfeiture or civil action.--
 The Secretary, or any other person authorized by the 
 Secretary,''; and

    (2) by adding at the end the following:
 ``

    (2) Civil citizen suits.--
 ``
        (A) In general.--Any person may commence a civil 
 suit in a district court of the United States on their 
 own behalf to enjoin any person who is alleged 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 section in any suit 
 brought under subparagraph
        (A) , the district court may 
 issue a fine in an amount not greater than $5,000 for 
 each violation.
 ``
            (C) Requirement.--A person seeking to commence a 
 civil suit under subparagraph
        (A) shall, at least 60 
 days before commencing the suit, submit to the 
 Secretary and local law enforcement notice of the 
 alleged violation of a provision of this section.
 ``
            (D) Limitation.--No action may be commenced under 
 subparagraph
        (A) --
 ``
            (i) if the Secretary has commenced an 
 action against the same person to impose a 
 penalty pursuant to paragraph

    (1) for the same 
 alleged violation; or
 ``
            (ii) if the United States has commenced, 
 and is diligently prosecuting, a criminal 
 action against the same person in a State or 
 Federal court to redress the same alleged 
 violation.
 ``
        (E) Jurisdiction.--A suit under this paragraph 
 may be brought in the judicial district in which the 
 alleged violation occurred.
 ``
        (F) Intervention.--The Attorney General, at the 
 request of the Secretary, may intervene on behalf of 
 the United States as a matter of right in any civil 
 suit brought under subparagraph
        (A) .
 ``
        (G) Attorney's fees.--The court, in issuing any 
 final order in any suit brought under subparagraph
        (A) , 
 may award costs of litigation (including reasonable 
 attorney and expert witness fees) to any party, 
 whenever the court determines such an award is 
 appropriate.
 ``

    (3) Seizure.--Whoever is found, pursuant to an 
 investigation under paragraph

    (1) , to have violated subsection

    (a)

    (1) shall, in addition to the penalties applicable under 
 paragraph

    (1) , be subject to seizure of all real property, 
 including any right, title, and interest (including any 
 leasehold interest) in the whole of any lot or tract of land 
 and any appurtenances or improvements, that is used, or 
 intended to be used, in any manner or part, to commit, or to 
 facilitate the commission of, a violation of subsection

    (a)

    (1) .''.

    (e) Technical Corrections.--

    (1) 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 relating 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 
standard hereunder.''.

    (2) Section 3001

    (a) of title 39, United States Code, is 
 amended by inserting ``(7 U.S.C. 2156),'' before ``is 
 nonmailable''.
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