PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Congressional Research Service
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People & committees
Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8] · D–IL
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Oct 7, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-09-28 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Animal Welfare Enforcement Improvement Act would change licensing and animal-care requirements for animal dealers and exhibitors. It would require annual license applications, minimum veterinary care, and mandatory license suspensions for violations determined to risk animal welfare. It would also require public access to complete, unredacted inspection and enforcement information. These are proposed changes; the supplied record does not establish enactment.
This Act may be cited as the Animal Welfare Enforcement Improvement Act.
An applicant shall submit an application to obtain a new license under such subsection each calendar year before the expiration of the previously issued license.
The standards with respect to minimum requirements for adequate veterinary care referred to in paragraph (2) shall include, at a minimum, the following:
in the case of such a violation that the Secretary determines presents a risk to animal welfare, the Secretary shall— (A) suspend such person’s license temporarily, but for a period not to exceed 21 days;
The Secretary shall publish, in a searchable format on a public website of the Department of Agriculture, information and reports (in their entirety and without redaction)
Source snapshot updated 2026-10-07T13:43:16Z. 2026-09-28: Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture. 2026-09-28: Introduced in House
Section 2 would replace the Animal Welfare Act’s licensing section. Subject to its exclusions, inspection requirements, and small-business exception, the Secretary would have to issue licenses after receiving an application containing an inventory of every animal at every applicant facility and payment of the required fee.
Section 3 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2133) is amended to read as follows: 3. Licenses (a) In general Subject to subsections (c), (d), and (e), the Secretary shall issue licenses to dealers and exhibitors upon— (1) the submission of an application for such license that— (A) contains an inventory of all animals present in all of the applicant’s facilities; and (B) is submitted in such form and manner as the Secretary may prescribe; and (2) payment of such fee established pursuant to section 23.
Licenses would last no more than one calendar year. Applicants would have to apply for a new license each calendar year before their existing license expired.
A license issued under subsection (a) shall be valid for a period not to exceed 1 calendar year. An applicant shall submit an application to obtain a new license under such subsection each calendar year before the expiration of the previously issued license.
The Secretary could not license dealers or exhibitors found to have violated federal, state, or local animal-related laws, including through guilty or no-contest pleas. Licensing would also be prohibited if it would help bypass state or local restrictions on private ownership of certain animals.
the Secretary may not issue a license under such subsection to a dealer or exhibitor if— (1) such dealer or exhibitor has been found to have violated (including by entering a nolo contendere, no contest plea, or guilty plea with respect to the violation) Federal, State, or local laws relating to animals, including this Act and any other anti-animal cruelty or wildlife protection law; or (2) the issuance of a license to such dealer or exhibitor would facilitate the circumvention of State or local law prohibiting the private ownership of certain animals.
Existing license holders seeking a new license would have to demonstrate compliance through at least one complete, unannounced annual inspection. Their facilities would also have to satisfy a condition against documented noncompliance with the relevant standards during more than one inspection in the previous two calendar years.
the Secretary may not issue a new license under such subsection to a dealer or exhibitor in possession of a valid, effective license previously issued under such subsection until the dealer or exhibitor shall have demonstrated through at least one full, unannounced, annual inspection, that the facilities of such dealer or exhibitor at the time of inspection— (A) comply with the standards promulgated by the Secretary pursuant to section 13; and (B) have not been documented as having not complied with any such standard during more than one inspection in the previous 2 calendar years.
First-time applicants would be eligible for no more than two inspections, both within 90 days after the Secretary received the application. Failure to meet any applicable standard at the second inspection would require denial and prevent another application for one year after denial.
the applicant shall not be eligible for more than 2 inspections conducted pursuant to paragraph (1). Both such inspections shall be conducted within the 90-day period that begins on the date of the receipt of the application by the Secretary. If, upon the second inspection, the applicant is found to have failed to meet any standard promulgated by the Secretary pursuant to section 13, the Secretary shall deny the application for such license and such applicant may not submit an application for such a license for a one-year period beginning on the date on which the application is so denied.
Dealers and exhibitors would be exempt from licensing if the Secretary determined their business was very small, described as “de minimis.” The provision leaves that determination to the Secretary without specifying a numerical size threshold.
a dealer or exhibitor shall not be required to obtain a license as a dealer or exhibitor under this Act if the size of the business is determined by the Secretary to be de minimis.
Section 3 would require veterinary-care standards to include scheduled visits by the attending veterinarian to every dealer and exhibitor location keeping animals at least once every 12 months. Each animal would also need a complete physical examination at least once every 12 months, unless animal health or safety required a different approach.
(A) Regularly scheduled visits, not less than once every 12 months, by the attending veterinarian to all dealer and exhibitor premises where animals are kept, to assess and ensure the adequacy of veterinary care and other aspects of animal care and use. (B) A complete physical examination of each animal maintained by a dealer or exhibitor by the attending veterinarian not less than once every 12 months, unless animal health or safety considerations require a different protocol.
The veterinary-care standards would also require vaccinations for contagious or deadly diseases, sampling and treatment for parasites and other pests, and preventive care and treatment appropriate to the species. These requirements would follow schedules approved by the attending veterinarian.
(C) Vaccinations for contagious or deadly diseases, and sampling and treatment of parasites and other pests, to which the species maintained by a dealer or exhibitor may be susceptible, in accordance with a schedule approved by the attending veterinarian. (D) Preventative care and treatment as required by the species maintained by a dealer or exhibitor, in accordance with a schedule approved by the attending veterinarian.
Section 4 would require a temporary license suspension of no more than 21 days when the Secretary determined that a covered violation posed a risk to animal welfare. For violations outside that category, the amended language would retain discretion to suspend a license.
in the case of any such violation that is not described in paragraph (2), the Secretary may suspend
in the case of such a violation that the Secretary determines presents a risk to animal welfare, the Secretary shall— (A) suspend such person’s license temporarily, but for a period not to exceed 21 days;
After notice and an opportunity for an informal hearing, permanent license revocation would be required if the Secretary determined that a violation occurred, posed or had posed an animal-welfare risk, and either continued beyond the initial suspension or involved a person found to have committed another such violation affecting animal welfare. Guilty and no-contest pleas would count toward the other-violation condition.
(B) after notice and opportunity for an informal hearing, permanently revoke such license if the Secretary determines that— (i) the violation occurred; (ii) the violation presents or has presented a risk to animal welfare; and (iii) the violation has persisted past the initial period of license suspension under subparagraph (A) or the person has been found to have committed one or more other such violations (including by entering a nolo contendere, no contest plea, or guilty plea with respect to any such violation) affecting animal welfare.
A suspended person could not obtain licensing or registration in their own name or another manner during suspension. Revocation would make that prohibition permanent. The text also extends these restrictions to family and household members and to businesses or other legal entities in which the person has a substantial financial or other interest.
(1) Any person whose license has been suspended for any reason shall not be licensed, or registered, in his or her own name or in any other manner, within the period during which the order of suspension is in effect. No family member, household member, partnership, firm, corporation, or other legal entity in which any such person has a substantial interest, financial or otherwise, will be licensed or registered during that period. (2) Any person whose license has been revoked shall not be licensed or registered, in his or her own name or in any other manner, at any time, and no family member, household member, partnership, firm, corporation, or other legal entity in which any such person has a substantial interest, financial or otherwise, will be licensed or registered.
During suspension or revocation, the affected person could not buy, sell, transport, exhibit, deliver animals for transportation, or work in any capacity involving an animal. The prohibition would apply whether acting for themselves or for another license holder or registrant.
Any person whose license has been suspended or revoked shall not buy, sell, transport, exhibit, deliver for transportation, or be employed in any capacity with respect to any animal during the period of suspension or revocation, under any circumstances, whether on his or her behalf or on the behalf of another licensee or registrant.
Section 5 would require a searchable public Department of Agriculture website containing complete, unredacted information and reports about the nature and location of all investigations and inspections under section 16. Publication would include all inspection reports documenting noncompliance, enforcement records, and animal inventories.
The Secretary shall publish, in a searchable format on a public website of the Department of Agriculture, information and reports (in their entirety and without redaction) on the nature and place of all investigations and inspections conducted by the Secretary under section 16 (including all reports documenting all instances of noncompliance with this Act observed during any such inspection), enforcement records, and animal inventories.
Section 6 would require the Secretary of Agriculture to issue implementing regulations within 90 days after enactment. That deadline depends on enactment; it is not a fixed calendar date.
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall issue regulations to carry out the amendments made by this Act.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated October 7, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Agriculture on September 28, 2026. It provides no later legislative action.
Source snapshot updated 2026-10-07T13:43:16Z. 2026-09-28: Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture. 2026-09-28: Introduced in House 2026-09-28: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-09-28. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced-text version. This conclusion does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced-text version. This conclusion does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
Findings to examine
The supplied introduced-text version contains a business-size licensing exemption. Identifying this carve-out is not a judgment about its justification.
Dealers and exhibitors whose businesses the Secretary determines are very small, or “de minimis,” would be exempt from licensing under the Act. This gives a size-defined subset an exception to the bill’s main licensing policy; the text does not set a numerical eligibility threshold.
(e) Exception Notwithstanding subsection (a), a dealer or exhibitor shall not be required to obtain a license as a dealer or exhibitor under this Act if the size of the business is determined by the Secretary to be de minimis.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Oct 7, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI