H.R. 3475 · 118th Congress

Permanently bans slaughtering horses and other equines for human food

Official title: SAFE Act of 20231

Never got a floor voteAnimal welfare laws

§1What it does

Why this matters: A plain-English description of the bill as it was voted on, written by us from the official summary and text.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

This bill would permanently ban knowingly slaughtering horses, mules and other equines for human consumption, and knowingly shipping, transporting, possessing, buying, selling or donating equines or their parts for that purpose, with violators subject to fines.2,3 It would apply to conduct in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, with an exception for activities carried out by an American Indian for a religious ceremony.2,3 Federal law already bans slaughtering dogs and cats for human food, and when the bill was introduced there were no USDA-inspected horse slaughter plants in the country because yearly funding laws barred the Agriculture Department from paying to inspect horses before slaughter.2,3

§2Status

StatusLatest action, June 23, 2023: Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry.1
IntroducedMay 18, 2023
SponsorRep. Buchanan, Vern [R-FL-16]
Cosponsors236 cosponsors (197 Democratic, 39 Republican)
Official recordH.R. 3475 on Congress.gov

§3It never got a vote

Why this matters: This bill had wide support from both parties, but it never reached the House or Senate floor, so no member of Congress was ever recorded voting for or against it.

Latest action, June 23, 2023: Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry.1 How bills die without a vote.

2026 candidates who sponsored or cosponsored it (166)