7 U.S.C. § 2146
The Secretary shall make such investigations or inspections as he deems necessary to determine whether any dealer, exhibitor, intermediate handler, carrier, research facility, or operator of an auction sale subject to section 2142 of this title, has violated or is violating any provision of this chapter or any regulation or standard issued thereunder, and for such purposes, the Secretary shall, at all reasonable times, have access to the places of business and the facilities, animals, and those records required to be kept pursuant to section 2140 of this title of any such dealer, exhibitor, intermediate handler, carrier, research facility, or operator of an auction sale. The Secretary shall inspect each research facility at least once each year and, in the case of deficiencies or deviations from the standards promulgated under this chapter, shall conduct such follow-up inspections as may be necessary until all deficiencies or deviations from such standards are corrected. The Secretary shall promulgate such rules and regulations as he deems necessary to permit inspectors to confiscate or destroy in a humane manner any animal found to be suffering as a result of a failure to comply with any provision of this chapter or any regulation or standard issued thereunder if (1) such animal is held by a dealer, (2) such animal is held by an exhibitor, (3) such animal is held by a research facility and is no longer required by such research facility to carry out the research, test, or experiment for which such animal has been utilized, (4) such animal is held by an operator of an auction sale, or (5) such animal is held by an intermediate handler or a carrier.
Any person who forcibly assaults, resists, opposes, impedes, intimidates, or interferes with any person while engaged in or on account of the performance of his official duties under this chapter shall be fined not more than $5,000, or imprisoned not more than three years, or both. Whoever, in the commission of such acts, uses a deadly or dangerous weapon shall be fined not more than $10,000, or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both. Whoever kills any person while engaged in or on account of the performance of his official duties under this chapter shall be punished as provided under sections 1111 and 1114 of title 18.
For the efficient administration and enforcement of this chapter and the regulations and standards promulgated under this chapter, the provisions (including penalties) of sections 46, 48, 49 and 50 of title 15 (except paragraph (c) through (h) of section 46 and the last paragraph of section 491 of title 15), and the provisions of Title II of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, are made applicable to the jurisdiction, powers, and duties of the Secretary in administering and enforcing the provisions of this chapter and to any person, firm, or corporation with respect to whom such authority is exercised. The Secretary may prosecute any inquiry necessary to his duties under this chapter in any part of the United States, including any territory, or possession thereof, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The powers conferred by said sections 49 and 50 of title 15 on the district courts of the United States may be exercised for the purposes of this chapter by any district court of the United States. The United States district courts, the District Court of Guam, the District Court of the Virgin Islands, the highest court of American Samoa, and the United States courts of the other territories, are vested with jurisdiction specifically to enforce, and to prevent and restrain violations of this chapter, and shall have jurisdiction in all other kinds of cases arising under this chapter, except as provided in section 2149(c) of this title.
1See References in Text note below.
7 U.S.C. § 2146
EDITORIAL NOTES
REFERENCES IN TEXTThe last paragraph of section 49 of title 15, referred to in subsec. (c), which related to immunity of witnesses, was repealed by section 211 of Pub. L. 91-452, Oct. 15, 1970, title II, 84 Stat. 929. For provisions relating to immunity of witnesses, see section 6001 et seq. of Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure. Title II of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, referred to in subsec. (c), is title II of Pub. L. 91-452, Oct. 15, 1970, 84 Stat. 926, which created a general Federal immunity statute set out in section 6001 et seq. of Title 18, and repealed the individual immunity provisions formerly contained in various Federal regulatory schemes.
AMENDMENTS1990-Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 101-624 inserted "and the regulations and standards promulgated under this chapter" after first reference to "this chapter". 1985-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 99-198 inserted provision directing Secretary to inspect each research facility at least once each year and, in case of deficiencies or deviations from standards promulgated under this chapter, conduct such follow-up inspections as may be necessary until all deficiencies or deviations from such standards are corrected. 1976-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 94-279, §12(a), inserted "intermediate handler, carrier," after "dealer, exhibitor," and inserted "or (5) such animal is held by an intermediate handler or a carrier" after "an auction sale".Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 94-279, §12(b), substituted "section 2149(c)" for "sections 2149(b) and 2150(b)" after "except as provided in".1970- Pub. L. 91-579 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), expanded coverage to include exhibitors and operators of auction sales for purposes of investigation, inserted provisions requiring that records, facilities, and animals be accessible to inspectors at all reasonable times at premises of dealers, research facilities, exhibitors, and operators of auction sales, and added subsecs. (b) and (c).
STATUTORY NOTES AND RELATED SUBSIDIARIES
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1985 AMENDMENT Amendment by Pub. L. 99-198 effective one year after Dec. 23, 1985, see section 1759 of Pub. L. 99-198 set out as a note under section 2131 of this title.
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1970 AMENDMENT Amendment by Pub. L. 91-579 effective 30 days after Dec. 24, 1970, see section 23 of Pub. L. 91-579 set out as a note under section 2131 of this title.
NON-RECORDING OF OBSERVED VIOLATIONS OF ANIMAL WELFARE ACT Pub. L. 117-328, div. A, title VII, §756, Dec. 29, 2022, 136 Stat. 4506, provided that: "Hereafter, none of the funds made available by this Act [div. A of Pub. L. 117-328 see Tables for classification] or any other Act, may be used to pay the salaries or expenses of personnel to implement any activities related to the permitting of non-recording of observed violations of the Animal Welfare Act or its regulations on official inspection reports."
- Secretary
- The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States or his representative who shall be an employee of the United States Department of Agriculture.
- animal
- The term "animal" means any live or dead dog, cat, monkey (nonhuman primate mammal), guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, or such other warm-blooded animal, as the Secretary may determine is being used, or is intended for use, for research, testing, experimentation, or exhibition purposes, or as a pet; but such term excludes (1) birds, rats of the genus Rattus, and mice of the genus Mus, bred for use in research, (2) horses not used for research purposes, and (3) other farm animals, such as, but not limited to livestock or poultry, used or intended for use as food or fiber, or livestock or poultry used or intended for use for improving animal nutrition, breeding, management, or production efficiency, or for improving the quality of food or fiber. With respect to a dog, the term means all dogs including those used for hunting, security, or breeding purposes.
- carrier
- The term "carrier" means the operator of any airline, railroad, motor carrier, shipping line, or other enterprise, which is engaged in the business of transporting any animals for hire.
- exhibitor
- The term "exhibitor" means any person (public or private) exhibiting any animals, which were purchased in commerce or the intended distribution of which affects commerce, or will affect commerce, to the public for compensation, as determined by the Secretary, and such term includes carnivals, circuses, and zoos exhibiting such animals whether operated for profit or not; but such term excludes retail pet stores, an owner of a common, domesticated household pet who derives less than a substantial portion of income from a nonprimary source (as determined by the Secretary) for exhibiting an animal that exclusively resides at the residence of the pet owner, organizations sponsoring and all persons participating in State and country fairs, livestock shows, rodeos, purebred dog and cat shows, and any other fairs or exhibitions intended to advance agricultural arts and sciences, as may be determined by the Secretary.
- intermediate handler
- The term "intermediate handler" means any person including a department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States or of any State or local government (other than a dealer, research facility, exhibitor, any person excluded from the definition of a dealer, research facility, or exhibitor, an operator of an auction sale, or a carrier) who is engaged in any business in which he receives custody of animals in connection with their transportation in commerce.
- person
- The term "person" includes any individual, partnership, firm, joint stock company, corporation, association, trust, estate, or other legal entity.