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A legal code passed by the Massachusetts Bay Colony. the first legal code established by European colonists in New England and was composed of a list of liberties, rather than restrictions, and intended for use as guidance for the General Court of the time.  It incorporates rights that were later judged to be ahead of their time, with some of these rights eventually appearing in the Bill of Rights.

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First Anti-Cruelty Law Passed by New York Legislature

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First Anti-Cruelty Law Passed by New York Legislature

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This is a United States federal law, under which the practice of soring is a crime punishable by both civil and criminal penalties, including fines and jail time.

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The objective of this Act is to protect live animals during and in connection with transport
against injury and illness as well as all avoidable pain, distress and suffering.

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t is the only Federal law in the United States that regulates the treatment of animals in research, exhibition, transport, and by dealers. Other laws, policies, and guidelines may include additional species coverage or specifications for animal care and use, but all refer to the Animal Welfare Act as the minimum acceptable standard. The Act is enforced by USDA, APHIS, Animal Care.
The law was amended in 1970, changing the name to the Animal Welfare Act (AWA).
In 2002, a brief amendment, to the Animal Welfare Act was included as part of an Agricultural Appropriations Bill, which “excludes birds, rats of the genus Rattus, and mice of the genus Mus, bred for use in research, from coverage under the Act.”
The Orca Responsibility and Care Advancement Act of 2015 would amend both the AWA and the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to prohibit the capture, importation, and exportation of orcas for public display. The bill would amend the AWA to prohibit the breeding of orcas for exhibition purposes
The AWA is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS). Congress periodically amends the act to strengthen enforcement, expand
coverage to more animals and activities, or curtail practices viewed as cruel (e.g., animal
fighting), among other things

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This is a federal law that prohibits sored horses from participating in shows, exhibitions, sales or auctions. The Horse Protection Act also prohibits the transportation of sored horses to or from any of these events.
It was amended in 1976.
It may have also been amended in 2019 under the name of

Horse Protection Amendments Act

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This was enacted on October 21, 1972. All marine mammals are protected under the MMPA. The MMPA prohibits, with certain exceptions, the "take' of marine mammals in U.S. waters and by U.S. citizens on the high seas, and the importation of marine mammals and marine mammal products into the U.S.
Jurisdiction for MMPA is shared by U.S. Marine and Wildlife Service and the National Maine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

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Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act" Passed

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Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act" Passed

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establishes a comprehensive framework within which the Secretary of Agriculture will administer agricultural and food programs from 1991 to 1995.

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"Animal Fighting Enforcement Act" Introduced

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"Animal Fighting Enforcement Act" Introduced

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Amends the Animal Welfare Act to increase the imprisonment penalty for animal fighting violations from one year to two years. Makes it unlawful to ship in interstate commerce a knife, gaff, or other sharp instrument used in cockfighting.

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Amends the federal criminal code to revise the prohibition against depictions of animal cruelty to prohibit anyone from knowingly creating an animal crush video if: (1) such person intends or has reason to know that such video will be distributed in, or using a means or facility of, interstate or foreign commerce; or (2) such video is distributed in, or using a means or facility of, interstate or foreign commerce. Prohibits the sale, marketing, exchange, or distribution of such videos in interstate or foreign commerce.
Exempts from the application of this Act: (1) any visual depiction of customary and normal veterinary or agricultural husbandry practices, the slaughter of animals for food, or hunting, trapping, or fishing; and (2) good faith distribution of an animal crush video to a law enforcement agency or a third party for the sole purpose of determining if referral to a law enforcement agency is appropriate.

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Prevention of Animal Cruelty and Provision of Animal Welfare Act 2014

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Prevention of Animal Cruelty and Provision of Animal Welfare Act 2014

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Its principal mandates are to impel animal owners to provide appropriate care and shelter, and to stop the illegal meat trade. The act also covers animals in nature, to the extent determined by the agricultural minister who is in charge of the act.

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Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act

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Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act

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2015-2016
Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit intentionally engaging in animal crushing in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. (Current law prohibits knowingly creating or distributing an animal crush video.) Adds exceptions for conduct that is for predator or pest control, medical or scientific research, or necessary to protect the life or property of a person from a serious threat caused by an animal.

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Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act

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Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act

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2019-2020
This bill revises and expands criminal provisions with respect to animal crushing.
It retains existing criminal offenses that prohibit knowingly creating or distributing an animal crush video using interstate commerce. The bill also adds a new provision to criminalize an intentional act of animal crushing. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to seven years, or both.