HR 3475 · 118th Congress 2023–2025, ended

SAFE Act of 2023

Introduced May 18, 2023 Originated House Sponsor Vern Buchanan R-FL

Latest action · Jun 23, 2023 Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

IntroducedMay 18, 2023
Passed HouseNot reached
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Save America's Forgotten Equines Act of 2023 or the SAFE Act of 2023

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.)

Specifically, this bill prohibits a person from knowingly

slaughtering an equine for human consumption; or
shipping, transporting, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donating an equine to be slaughtered for human consumption or equine parts for human consumption.

The bill subjects a violator to a fine.

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.

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.

Cosponsors 236

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 18, 2023 to Nov 26, 2024; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
D-IL	Janice D. Schakowsky	Original	May 18, 2023
D-CA	Barbara Lee		May 23, 2023
D-CA	Brad Sherman		May 23, 2023
D-DC	Eleanor Holmes Norton		May 23, 2023
D-FL	Frederica S. Wilson		May 23, 2023
D-VA	Gerald E. Connolly		May 23, 2023
D-CA	Jimmy Panetta		May 23, 2023
R-OH	Mike Carey		May 23, 2023
R-SC	Nancy Mace		May 23, 2023
R-NY	Nicole Malliotakis		May 23, 2023
D-CO	Jason Crow		May 25, 2023
D-CO	Joe Neguse		May 25, 2023
R-FL	W. Gregory Steube		Jun 12, 2023
D-NJ	Bill Pascrell, Jr.		Jun 13, 2023
D-CO	Brittany Pettersen		Jun 13, 2023
D-NV	Dina Titus		Jun 13, 2023
R-PA	Guy Reschenthaler		Jun 13, 2023
R-FL	Maria Elvira Salazar		Jun 13, 2023
D-CT	James A. Himes		Jun 16, 2023
R-NJ	Christopher H. Smith		Jun 20, 2023
D-CA	Judy Chu		Jun 23, 2023
D-IL	Raja Krishnamoorthi		Jun 23, 2023
D-RI	Seth Magaziner		Jun 23, 2023
D-TX	Veronica Escobar		Jun 23, 2023
D-CO	Diana DeGette		Jun 30, 2023
D-MI	Hillary J. Scholten		Jun 30, 2023
D-CA	Kevin Mullin		Jun 30, 2023
D-FL	Lois Frankel		Jun 30, 2023
D-CA	Sara Jacobs		Jun 30, 2023
D-MI	Shri Thanedar		Jun 30, 2023
D-MA	Stephen F. Lynch		Jun 30, 2023
D-VT	Becca Balint		Jul 11, 2023
R-PA	Brian K. Fitzpatrick		Jul 11, 2023
D-CA	Katie Porter		Jul 11, 2023
D-CA	Raul Ruiz		Jul 11, 2023
D-KS	Sharice Davids		Jul 11, 2023
D-OR	Suzanne Bonamici		Jul 11, 2023
D-TX	Sylvia R. Garcia		Jul 11, 2023
D-MD	David J. Trone		Jul 13, 2023
D-OR	Earl Blumenauer		Jul 13, 2023
D-CT	Joe Courtney		Jul 13, 2023
R-FL	John H. Rutherford		Jul 13, 2023
R-CA	Ken Calvert		Jul 13, 2023
D-TX	Lizzie Fletcher		Jul 13, 2023
D-KY	Morgan McGarvey		Jul 13, 2023
D-CA	Salud O. Carbajal		Jul 13, 2023
D-OR	Val T. Hoyle		Jul 13, 2023
D-NV	Susie Lee		Jul 14, 2023
D-CA	Jared Huffman		Jul 20, 2023
D-WA	Marie Gluesenkamp Perez		Jul 20, 2023
D-IL	Bradley Scott Schneider		Jul 24, 2023
D-NM	Melanie A. Stansbury		Aug 1, 2023
D-NC	Kathy E. Manning		Aug 4, 2023
D-CA	Ted Lieu		Aug 8, 2023
D-CA	Tony Cárdenas		Aug 8, 2023
D-MN	Betty McCollum		Aug 11, 2023
D-NH	Chris Pappas		Aug 11, 2023
D-MI	Elissa Slotkin		Aug 11, 2023
D-CT	Jahana Hayes		Aug 11, 2023
R-FL	Bill Posey		Aug 18, 2023
D-TX	Lloyd Doggett		Aug 18, 2023
D-CA	Nanette Diaz Barragán		Aug 18, 2023
D-WA	Pramila Jayapal		Aug 18, 2023
D-MA	Seth Moulton		Aug 18, 2023
R-CA	Kevin Kiley		Aug 22, 2023
R-NY	Nick LaLota		Aug 22, 2023
R-WI	Glenn Grothman		Aug 25, 2023
R-NY	Michael Lawler		Aug 25, 2023
D-GA	Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.		Aug 29, 2023
D-CA	Adam B. Schiff		Sep 8, 2023
R-NY	Claudia Tenney		Sep 8, 2023
D-IN	Frank J. Mrvan		Sep 8, 2023
D-OH	Marcy Kaptur		Sep 8, 2023
D-PA	Matt Cartwright		Sep 8, 2023
R-CA	Mike Garcia		Sep 8, 2023
D-CA	Mike Levin		Sep 8, 2023
D-CA	Zoe Lofgren		Sep 8, 2023
D-VA	Abigail Davis Spanberger		Sep 14, 2023
D-MN	Angie Craig		Sep 14, 2023
D-NY	Paul Tonko		Sep 14, 2023
R-FL	Anna Paulina Luna		Sep 18, 2023
D-MI	Haley M. Stevens		Sep 18, 2023
R-NY	Andrew R. Garbarino		Sep 26, 2023
D-NC	Deborah K. Ross		Sep 26, 2023
D-ME	Chellie Pingree		Oct 2, 2023
R-PA	Lloyd Smucker		Oct 2, 2023
D-TN	Steve Cohen		Oct 3, 2023
D-WA	Adam Smith		Oct 6, 2023
D-IN	André Carson		Oct 6, 2023
D-IL	Danny K. Davis		Oct 6, 2023
D-NJ	Donald M. Payne, Jr.		Oct 6, 2023
D-CA	Eric Swalwell		Oct 6, 2023
D-MP	Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan		Oct 6, 2023
D-CA	J. Luis Correa		Oct 6, 2023
D-CA	Josh Harder		Oct 6, 2023
D-CA	Juan Vargas		Oct 6, 2023
D-DE	Lisa Blunt Rochester		Oct 6, 2023
D-GA	Lucy McBath		Oct 6, 2023
D-WA	Marilyn Strickland		Oct 6, 2023
D-WI	Mark Pocan		Oct 6, 2023
D-CA	Mark Takano		Oct 6, 2023
D-PA	Mary Gay Scanlon		Oct 6, 2023
D-IL	Mike Quigley		Oct 6, 2023
D-CA	Mike Thompson		Oct 6, 2023
D-GA	Nikema Williams		Oct 6, 2023
D-CA	Norma J. Torres		Oct 6, 2023
D-AZ	Ruben Gallego		Oct 6, 2023
D-TX	Sheila Jackson Lee		Oct 6, 2023
D-NV	Steven Horsford		Oct 6, 2023
D-PA	Susan Wild		Oct 6, 2023
D-OR	Andrea Salinas		Oct 10, 2023
D-MD	John P. Sarbanes		Oct 10, 2023
R-FL	Carlos A. Gimenez		Oct 12, 2023
D-NY	Grace Meng		Oct 12, 2023
D-MD	Jamie Raskin		Oct 12, 2023
D-CO	Yadira Caraveo		Oct 12, 2023
D-PA	Brendan F. Boyle		Oct 16, 2023
D-MO	Emanuel Cleaver		Oct 16, 2023
D-IL	Eric Sorensen		Oct 16, 2023
D-OH	Joyce Beatty		Oct 16, 2023
D-IL	Sean Casten		Oct 16, 2023
D-NJ	Andy Kim		Oct 20, 2023
R-NY	Anthony D'Esposito		Oct 20, 2023
D-MN	Ilhan Omar		Oct 20, 2023
D-MA	Lori Trahan		Oct 20, 2023
D-MA	Richard E. Neal		Oct 20, 2023
D-CA	Doris O. Matsui		Oct 24, 2023
D-CA	Ami Bera		Nov 1, 2023
D-PA	Christopher R. Deluzio		Nov 1, 2023
R-TX	Lance Gooden		Nov 1, 2023
D-TX	Colin Z. Allred		Nov 6, 2023
D-WA	Derek Kilmer		Nov 6, 2023
D-NY	Patrick Ryan		Nov 6, 2023
D-NC	Valerie P. Foushee		Nov 6, 2023
D-MI	Debbie Dingell		Nov 7, 2023
D-IL	Delia C. Ramirez		Nov 7, 2023
D-NY	Gregory W. Meeks		Nov 7, 2023
D-MA	James P. McGovern		Nov 7, 2023
D-VA	Jennifer Wexton		Nov 7, 2023
R-PR	Jenniffer González-Colón		Nov 7, 2023
D-CA	Jimmy Gomez		Nov 7, 2023
D-CA	Julia Brownley		Nov 7, 2023
R-FL	Laurel M. Lee		Nov 7, 2023
R-OH	Michael R. Turner		Nov 7, 2023
D-NY	Nydia M. Velázquez		Nov 7, 2023
D-CA	Robert Garcia		Nov 7, 2023
D-IL	Robin L. Kelly		Nov 9, 2023
D-MA	William R. Keating		Nov 9, 2023
D-NC	Alma S. Adams		Nov 13, 2023
D-CA	Anna G. Eshoo		Nov 13, 2023
D-IL	Bill Foster		Nov 13, 2023
D-MD	C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger		Nov 13, 2023
D-FL	Debbie Wasserman Schultz		Nov 13, 2023
D-NJ	Donald Norcross		Nov 13, 2023
D-GA	Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr.		Nov 13, 2023
D-NY	Joseph D. Morelle		Nov 13, 2023
D-CA	Pete Aguilar		Nov 13, 2023
D-CA	Scott H. Peters		Nov 13, 2023
D-WA	Suzan K. DelBene		Nov 13, 2023
D-NM	Teresa Leger Fernandez		Nov 13, 2023
R-CA	Young Kim		Nov 13, 2023
D-NJ	Bonnie Watson Coleman		Nov 14, 2023
D-VA	Donald S. Beyer, Jr.		Nov 14, 2023
D-CA	Grace F. Napolitano		Nov 14, 2023
D-AZ	Greg Stanton		Nov 14, 2023
D-WI	Gwen Moore		Nov 14, 2023
D-FL	Jared Moskowitz		Nov 14, 2023
D-CA	Mark DeSaulnier		Nov 14, 2023
R-FL	Michael Waltz		Nov 14, 2023
D-AZ	Raúl M. Grijalva		Nov 14, 2023
D-NY	Ritchie Torres		Nov 14, 2023
D-TX	Al Green		Nov 15, 2023
D-TX	Jasmine Crockett		Nov 15, 2023
D-NJ	Josh Gottheimer		Nov 15, 2023
R-TX	Troy E. Nehls		Nov 15, 2023
D-NY	Yvette D. Clarke		Nov 15, 2023
D-NH	Ann M. Kuster		Nov 28, 2023
D-NY	Daniel S. Goldman		Nov 28, 2023
D-TX	Greg Casar		Nov 28, 2023
D-IL	Jesús G. "Chuy" García		Nov 28, 2023
R-AZ	Juan Ciscomani		Nov 28, 2023
D-FL	Maxwell Frost		Nov 28, 2023
D-CA	Ro Khanna		Nov 28, 2023
D-PA	Chrissy Houlahan		Nov 29, 2023
D-OH	Greg Landsman		Nov 29, 2023
D-CA	John Garamendi		Nov 29, 2023
D-FL	Kathy Castor		Nov 29, 2023
D-NJ	Robert Menendez		Nov 29, 2023
D-MD	Kweisi Mfume		Dec 4, 2023
D-MD	Glenn Ivey		Dec 6, 2023
D-NC	Jeff Jackson		Dec 6, 2023
D-NY	Jerrold Nadler		Dec 6, 2023
D-PA	Madeleine Dean		Dec 6, 2023
D-VA	Robert C. "Bobby" Scott		Dec 6, 2023
D-NC	Wiley Nickel		Dec 6, 2023
D-IL	Nikki Budzinski		Dec 7, 2023
R-PA	Daniel Meuser		Dec 11, 2023
R-AZ	David Schweikert		Dec 11, 2023
D-MN	Dean Phillips		Dec 11, 2023
D-NJ	Jefferson Van Drew		Dec 12, 2023
D-NJ	Mikie Sherrill		Dec 12, 2023
D-RI	Gabe Amo		Dec 13, 2023
R-OH	David P. Joyce		Dec 14, 2023
D-FL	Darren Soto		Dec 15, 2023
D-CA	Linda T. Sánchez		Dec 15, 2023
D-MD	Steny H. Hoyer		Dec 15, 2023
D-VA	Jennifer L. McClellan		Dec 19, 2023
D-IL	Lauren Underwood		Dec 19, 2023
D-PA	Summer L. Lee		Dec 19, 2023
D-TX	Vicente Gonzalez		Dec 19, 2023
D-MO	Cori Bush		Dec 22, 2023
D-IL	Jonathan L. Jackson		Dec 22, 2023
D-CA	Maxine Waters		Dec 22, 2023
D-TX	Marc A. Veasey		Jan 10, 2024
D-NY	Adriano Espaillat		Jan 17, 2024
R-NY	Brandon Williams		Jan 25, 2024
D-NM	Gabe Vasquez		Jan 25, 2024
D-MA	Jake Auchincloss		Jan 25, 2024
D-TX	Joaquin Castro		Feb 23, 2024
R-NJ	Thomas H. Kean, Jr.		Feb 23, 2024
D-MI	Rashida Tlaib		Apr 5, 2024
D-HI	Jill N. Tokuda		Apr 11, 2024
D-NY	Thomas R. Suozzi		May 22, 2024
D-NY	Timothy M. Kennedy		Jul 9, 2024
D-NY	Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez		Aug 23, 2024
D-LA	Troy A. Carter		Aug 27, 2024
R-FL	Gus M. Bilirakis		Aug 30, 2024
R-KY	Andy Barr		Sep 9, 2024
D-OH	Emilia Strong Sykes		Sep 19, 2024
D-FL	Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick		Oct 8, 2024
R-PA	Scott Perry		Oct 11, 2024
D-PA	Dwight Evans		Oct 29, 2024
D-MA	Ayanna Pressley		Nov 1, 2024
D-CA	Sydney Kamlager-Dove		Nov 1, 2024
D-WA	Kim Schrier		Nov 13, 2024
D-MS	Bennie G. Thompson		Nov 26, 2024

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Agriculture Committee	Referred May 18, 2023
	Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Subcommittee	Referred Jun 23, 2023

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

Jun 23, 2023Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry.
May 18, 2023Introduced in House
May 18, 2023Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution. The single subject of this legislation is: This legislation bans the slaughter, transport, possession, purchase, sale, or donation of equines or their parts for human consumption.

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 169, no. 84, May 18, 2023, page H2457.

Printed hearings 1

Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.

Number	Hearing	Committee	Held
Serial No. 118-18	MEMBER DAY1,004 pages	Agriculture Committee	Dec 6, 2023

Related bills 1

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Bill	Title	Relationship	Latest action
S 2037	SAFE Act of 2023	Identical bill	Jun 15, 2023

Titles 3

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: To amend the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 to prohibit the slaughter of equines for human consumption.
Short Title(s) as Introduced: SAFE Act of 2023; Save America’s Forgotten Equines Act of 2023

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Agriculture and Food.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

May 18, 2023Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.