{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2012-12-31-pt1-PgH7495", "2012-12-31", 112, 2, null, null, "AMENDING THE ANIMAL WELFARE ACT", "HOUSE", "HOUSE", "ALLOTHER", "H7495", "H7495", "[{\"name\": \"Eric A. \\\"Rick\\\" Crawford\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Jim Costa\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", "[{\"congress\": \"112\", \"type\": \"S\", \"number\": \"3666\"}, {\"congress\": \"112\", \"type\": \"S\", \"number\": \"3666\"}]", "158 Cong. Rec. H7495", "Congressional Record, Volume 158 Issue 171 (Monday, December 31, 2012)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 171 (Monday, December 31, 2012)]\n[House]\n[Page H7495]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n                    AMENDING THE ANIMAL WELFARE ACT\n\n  Mr. CRAWFORD. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the\nbill (S. 3666) to amend the Animal Welfare Act to modify the definition\nof ``exhibitor''.\n  The Clerk read the title of the bill.\n  The text of the bill is as follows:\n       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of\n     the United States of America in Congress assembled,\n\n     SECTION 1. ANIMAL WELFARE.\n\n       Section 2(h) of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2132(h))\n     is amended by adding ``an owner of a common, domesticated\n     household pet who derives less than a substantial portion of\n     income from a nonprimary source (as determined by the\n     Secretary) for exhibiting an animal that exclusively resides\n     at the residence of the pet owner,'' after ``stores,''.\n\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from\nArkansas (Mr. Crawford) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Costa)\neach will control 20 minutes.\n  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas.\n\n                             General Leave\n\n  Mr. CRAWFORD. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members\nhave 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the bill\nunder consideration.\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the\ngentleman from Arkansas?\n  There was no objection.\n  Mr. CRAWFORD. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the bill, S. 3666,\nand yield myself such time as I may consume.\n  S. 3666 is a simple regulatory relief measure which has been proposed\nto modify the definition of the term ``exhibitor'' under the Federal\nAnimal Welfare Act. It has passed the Senate by unanimous consent and,\nin the last hours of the 112th Congress, I urge that it likewise be\npassed by the House of Representatives.\n  The legislation would relieve private pet owners who might make a few\ndollars on the side with their pets but who do not derive a substantial\nportion of their income from such activities from the licensure\nrequirements under the Federal Animal Welfare Act.\n  An example where this might be an issue is in hiring somebody to\nserve as an extra in a film. These are the people who appear in the\nbackground of film scenes and may work on the film set for a couple of\nhours at a time or a day or two at the most. If that person has their\npet with them during the filming, the current interpretation of the\nAnimal Welfare Act is that the extra would be designated an animal\nexhibitor under Federal law and must therefore be licensed, inspected,\nand comply with all the administrative and record-keeping requirements\nof the act. This was not what the law intended nor is the\nadministration of such a requirement a necessary or useful allocation\nof scarce Federal resources.\n  The Federal Animal Welfare Act was intended to regulate businesses,\nnot private citizens. There are many examples across the government of\nregulatory overreach. While I regret that we have not been able to\naddress all of those in the 112th Congress, certainly this is one we\ncan agree needs fixing and should be fixed.\n  I urge my colleagues to support the legislation and reserve the\nbalance of my time.\n  Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may\nconsume.\n  I want to thank the gentleman from Arkansas for his efforts with our\ncolleagues in the Senate to pass this measure, S. 3666.\n  As was stated, this is a measure that involves common sense, and it\nattempts to relieve burdensome paperwork that frankly has no place\nunder the current scheme in which movies are made in this country that\nrequire, without the relief of this measure, them to be included under\nthe Federal Animal Welfare Act.\n  As was stated, movies and television shows often use animals as\nextras. We're used to seeing that. It's part of the way these movies\nare made. This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to clarify that when\npets are owned by individual citizens who are acting in that movie or\nin that television show that they should not be regulated by the U.S.\nDepartment of Agriculture when it comes to these animals being used as\nextras in films.\n  These animals should not be captured under the Animal Welfare Act\nregulations. The USDA, as we know, is spread pretty thin. It is using\nscarce resources to regulate personal pets, which now is required under\nthe current law that this legislation will relieve that burden from. We\nthink that the USDA should focus its resources on more cost-effective\nmeasures rather than regulating individual personal pets that are used\nin these movies or in these television shows as--the term of art is\n``animal actors''; animals that play a key movie or television role\nwill not be affected by this legislation. They will continue to be\nregulated by the Animal Welfare Act. This is, as I said at the outset,\na commonsense regulatory relief of burdensome paperwork. I would ask my\ncolleagues to support this measure.\n\n                              {time}  1150\n\n  S. 3666 is, I think, a well-thought-out measure. I want to thank,\nagain, the gentleman from Arkansas and the committee for their efforts\non this measure and ask their support for the bill.\n  I yield back the balance of my time.\n  Mr. CRAWFORD. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California,\nand I yield back the balance of my time.\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the\ngentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Crawford) that the House suspend the rules\nand pass the bill, S. 3666.\n  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the\nrules were suspended and the bill was passed.\n  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.\n\n                          ____________________"]], "columns": ["granule_id", "date", "congress", "session", "volume", "issue", "title", "chamber", "granule_class", "sub_granule_class", "page_start", "page_end", "speakers", "bills", "citation", "full_text"], "primary_keys": ["granule_id"], "primary_key_values": ["CREC-2012-12-31-pt1-PgH7495"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2690960429608822, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}