H.R. 10627 — Animal Welfare Enforcement Improvement Act

This section revises licensing rules for dealers and exhibitors under the Animal Welfare Act. It requires annual license applications that include a full inventory of animals at all facilities, bars issuance to any applicant with a violation of federal, state, or local animal laws (including nolo contendere or guilty pleas) or whose license would circumvent state or local ownership prohibitions, mandates at least one unannounced inspection showing compliance with no more than one prior noncompliance in the previous two years for renewals, limits new applicants to two inspections within 90 days with a one-year reapplication bar after a second failure, and exempts de minimis businesses.

This section establishes minimum standards for adequate veterinary care of animals maintained by dealers and exhibitors. The standards require attending veterinarian visits to all premises at least once every 12 months, a complete physical examination of each animal at least once every 12 months (unless health or safety considerations require otherwise), vaccinations against contagious or deadly diseases, sampling and treatment for parasites, and other preventative care, all according to schedules approved by the attending veterinarian.

This section requires the Secretary of Agriculture to suspend for up to 21 days, and then permanently revoke, the license of any person who violates the Animal Welfare Act in a manner that presents a risk to animal welfare if the violation persists or the person commits additional violations. It bars individuals with suspended or revoked licenses, their family or household members, and any related entities with a substantial interest from obtaining new licenses or buying, selling, transporting, exhibiting, or handling animals during the suspension or revocation period.

This section requires the Secretary of Agriculture to publish, in a searchable format on a public Department of Agriculture website, all information and reports on the nature and place of investigations and inspections conducted under the Animal Welfare Act, including all instances of noncompliance, enforcement records, and animal inventories, without redaction.