,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ejag ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,august #bb1 #bjbe,mr4 ,carbajal 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,fine1 ,mr4 ,davis of ,north ,carolina1 and ,mr4 ,nunn of ,iowa7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,animal ,welfare ,act to prohibit commercial greyhound racing1 live lure training1 and open field coursing1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,greyhound ,protection ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,congressional findings and policy ,the ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,greyhounds have existed for thousands of years and are the only canines mentioned by name in the ,bible4 7#b7 ,commercial greyhound racing was first legalized in ,florida in #aica4 7#c7 ,modern racetracks require internet-based wire communications to process bets and wagers1 calculate odds1 broadcast races1 announce results1 and pay winnings to gamblers4 ,the majority of gambling on dog racing now occurs via simulcast and online4 7#d7 ,public records reveal that some greyhounds used for live commercial racing suffer serious injuries including broken backs1 broken necks1 head trauma1 paralysis1 seizures1 and electrocution4 7#e7 ,regulatory records show that some racing greyhounds test positive for drugs including cocaine1 amphetamines1 barbituates1 opiods1 and steroids4 7#f7 ,state investigatory files document that racing greyhounds are kept confined for #bj to #bc hours a day in stacked1 metal cages1 typically with little opportunity to socialize with other dogs4 7#g7 ,many small animals1 including jack rabbits and hares1 are bought1 sold1 delivered1 transported1 and received in interstate and foreign commerce for use as live bait in the training of racing greyhounds and in open field coursing4 7#h7 ,typically1 animals used in live lure training of greyhounds may be dragged on ropes1 hung from a horizontal pole which rotates around a training track1 or simply set loose to be chased and mauled4 ,alive or dead1 helpless bait animals may be used repeatedly until they are torn apart4 7#i7 ,live lure training is prohibited in more than a dozen ,states1 but there is no ,federal statute prohibiting such practice4 ,in the late #aigjs1 the ,national ,greyhound ,association1 a membership organization representing breeders1 trainers1 and other industry participants1 announced a policy against live lure training in order to convince the late ,senators ,birch ,bayh and ,robert ,dole to withdraw their proposed legislation4 7#aj7 ,open field coursing preceded commercial dog racing and is an activity in which greyhounds or other sighthounds are released to pursue and kill bait animals1 including jack rabbits and hares1 often in a fenced area4 ,greyhounds may collide and suffer injuries in the chase4 7#aa7 ,dog owners travel from multiple ,states and countries to compete and win prizes and sometimes gamble on open field coursing events4 7#ab7 ,as with commercial greyhound racing1 internet sites are used to promote coursing tournaments and post results to a worldwide audience4 7#ac7 ,the ,national ,field ,coursing ,association is the umbrella group for coursing clubs nationwide and maintained #ab clubs in ,california as of #bjjf4 7#ad7 ,open field coursing is illegal in as many as #ab ,states4 7#ae7 ,open field coursing was prohibited as a blood sport in ,scotland in #bjjb1 and in the ,united ,kingdom in #bjjd4 7#af7 #be years ago1 there were #fj greyhound tracks in the ,united ,states4 ,with the voter-mandated closure of #ab dog tracks in ,florida and the voluntary shut down of ,southland ,park in ,arkansas and ,iowa ,greyhound ,park in #bjbb1 only #b tracks1 both in ,west ,virginia1 will remain nationwide4 7#ag7 ,according to the ,state of ,florida1 track owners had been collectively losing more than #cj1jjj1jjj annually because of sagging attendance and decreased wagering4 ,according to a ,state-commissioned report1 the ,state spent more money regulating the industry in its national hub than it generated in tax revenue4 ,similarly1 nearly #bj1jjj1jjj is diverted annually to subsidize the #b ,west ,virginia tracks4 7#ah7 ,according to ,state records1 more than #aj1jjj greyhound injuries have been reported at ,west ,virginia racetracks since #bjjh4 ,more than #c1ejj dogs suffered broken bones during this period1 and at least #dcg dogs died after suffering serious injuries4 7#ai7 ,live commercial dog racing is illegal in #db ,states4 ,as of ,december #bjbb1 this dying industry will remain legal and operational in no more than #a ,state4 #c4 ,protection of greyhounds 7a7 ,in general ,the ,animal ,welfare ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #baca et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #cj4 ,protection of greyhounds 7a7 ,in general ,it shall be unlawful-- 7#a7 for any person to knowingly engage in commercial greyhound racing1 live lure training1 or open field coursing events in which any greyhound is moved in interstate or foreign commerce2 7#b7 to conduct commercial greyhound racing or racing meeting where any form of betting or wagering on the speed or ability of greyhounds occurs2 7#c7 to conduct open field coursing or live lure training with the use of any bait that is not an inanimate object2 7#d7 to engage in or facilitate simulcast betting or wagering on greyhound races in interstate or foreign commerce2 and 7#e7 for any person to knowingly sell1 buy1 possess1 train1 transport1 deliver1 or receive any greyhound for purposes of having the greyhound participate in commercial greyhound racing1 live lure training1 or open field coursing events4 7b7 ,investigations ,the ,secretary1 or any other person authorized by the ,secretary1 shall make such investigations as the ,secretary determines necessary to determine whether any person has violated or is violating any provision of this section4 ,the ,secretary may obtain the assistance of the ,federal ,bureau of ,investigation1 the ,department of the ,treasury1 or other law enforcement agencies of the ,united ,states1 and ,state and local governmental agencies1 in the conduct of such investigations1 under cooperative agreements with such agencies4 7c7 ,penalties ,any person who violates any of paragraphs 7#a7 through 7#e7 of subsection 7a7 shall be fined under this ,act1 imprisoned for not more than #g years1 or both1 for each such violation4 ,each instance of a violation of any such paragraph shall be considered a single violation4 7d7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,commercial greyhound racing ,the term commercial greyhound racing means any event involving the participation of greyhounds in which betting or wagering on the speed or ability of such greyhounds occurs4 7#b7 ,simulcast ,the term simulcast means the simultaneous audio or visual transmission from one location of foreign or domestic greyhound races taking place at a different location and gambling on the results of such races4 4 7b7 ,definition of animal ,section #b7;g7 of the ,animal ,welfare ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #bacb7;g77 is amended by inserting hare1 after rabbit14 7c7 ,applicability ,the amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to conduct occurring on or after ,october #a1 #bjbg4 7d7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this section1 or the amendments made by this section1 shall be construed-- 7#a7 to preempt any ,state law prohibiting gambling or protecting the welfare of animals1 including greyhounds1 jackrabbits1 and hares2 or 7#b7 to alter1 limit1 or extend the relationship between the ,interstate ,horseracing ,act of #aigh 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #cjja et seq47 as it relates to horse racing and other ,federal laws in effect on the date of enactment of this ,act4