# Goldie's Act: What It Does

Goldie's Act strengthens the government's ability to enforce animal welfare laws by giving the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) more tools to inspect facilities, document violations, and punish those who mistreat animals. The bill applies to anyone who deals with animals commercially—pet dealers, zoos and circuses, research labs, animal transporters, and livestock auction houses.

The main changes make inspections more thorough and consequences more serious. Right now, the USDA must inspect these facilities at least once a year, but the bill requires inspectors to document every violation they find in detail and conduct follow-up inspections until problems are fixed. If an inspector discovers an animal suffering because of violations, they can immediately confiscate that animal and have it cared for humanely. The bill also prevents facilities from destroying animals or other evidence while an inspector is working.

When violations are found, the penalties get tougher. Facilities can now be fined up to $10,000 for each violation, with each day a violation continues counting as a separate offense—so a facility with ongoing problems could face massive fines. The bill also requires the USDA to share inspection records with local police and animal control within 24 hours, which could lead to criminal charges in addition to federal penalties. Hearings about violations must now include a veterinarian and animal care experts, and they must happen within three weeks. If a facility refuses to pay fines, the government can take them to court to collect the money.

In practical terms, this bill makes it much harder for facilities to ignore animal welfare rules without facing real consequences. It's designed to protect animals from neglect and abuse by making inspections more frequent and detailed, giving inspectors power to rescue suffering animals immediately, and ensuring that violators face meaningful financial penalties rather than minor fines they can easily absorb as a cost of doing business.

Goldie’s Act

Malliotakis, Nicole

Goldie's Act This bill expands enforcement provisions under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to document and record detailed descriptions of violations of the act observed during inspections and investigations. USDA must provide a copy of all records documenting violations to state, local, and municipal animal control or law enforcement officials within 24 hours of such inspections or investigations. Inspections must be held at least once a year of each research facility, the premises of each animal dealer, and each exhibitor of animals. If violations are found during inspections, then USDA must conduct any necessary follow-up inspections until all the violations are corrected. Inspectors must confiscate or destroy in a humane manner animals found to be suffering physical or psychological harm as a result of failure to comply with the AWA. Violators are subject to civil penalties as outlined in the bill.