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S 1406 113th Congress Senate

PAST Act

Official title: A bill to amend the Horse Protection Act to designate additional unlawful acts under the Act, strengthen penalties for violations of the Act, improve Departmen… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: A bill to amend the Horse Protection Act to designate additional unlawful acts under the Act, strengthen penalties for violations of the Act, improve Department of Agriculture enforcement of the Act, and for other purposes.

Introduced: February 25, 2014 See on congress.gov
Animals Administrative law and regulatory proceduresAnimal protection and human-animal relationshipsCrimes against animals and natural resourcesDepartment of Agriculture
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Government information and archivesLicensing and registrationsMammalsMuseums, exhibitions, cultural centersVeterinary medicine and animal diseases
This bill died when the 113th Congress ended
It never became law before the 113th Congress (2013–2014) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 5 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Sep 15, 2014
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 562.
Sep 15, 2014
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Rockefeller with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 113-254.
Apr 9, 2014
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Jul 31, 2013
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Jul 31, 2013
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action September 15, 2014

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 562.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2014 or the PAST Act - (Sec. 2) Amends the Horse Protection Act (HPA) to replace the Designated Qualified Persons program responsible for inspecting horses for soring with a new inspection system. (The soring of horses is any of various actions taken on a horse's limb to produce a higher gait that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness.) Directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to prescribe regulatory requirements to license, train, assign, and oversee persons who are to be hired by the management of horse shows, exhibitions, sales, or auctions and are qualified to detect and diagnose sore horses or otherwise inspect horses at such events.

Prohibits issuing a license to any person unless such person is free from conflicts of interest. Authorizes USDA to revoke a license for unsatisfactory performance. Requires USDA to give a preference to persons who are licensed or accredited veterinarians in issuing the licenses.

Requires USDA to assign USDA-licensed inspectors after receiving notice that management intends to hire the inspectors.

Directs an inspector to issue a citation for violations and notify USDA of the violations within five days of the citation being issued.

Requires USDA to: (1) publish on the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's website information on violations of such Act; and (2) disqualify a horse that is sore for specified time periods that increase after the first, second, and third instance.

Prohibits a person in any horse show, horse exhibition, or horse sale or auction from causing or directing a horse to become sore for the purpose of showing, exhibiting, selling, auctioning, or offering for sale the horse.

Prohibits showing, exhibiting, selling, or auctioning a Tennessee Walking, a Racking, or a Spotted Saddle horse with: (1) an action device that causes friction by rotating around a horse's leg or sliding up and down the leg or strikes the hoof, coronet band, fetlock joint, or pastern of the horse; or (2) a weighted shoe, pad, wedge, hoof band, or other device or material if it is constructed to artificially alter a horse's gait and is not strictly protective or therapeutic.

Increases the maximum criminal penalties and maximum civil liability penalties for certain HPA violations.

Authorizes USDA to disqualify a violator from: (1) transporting or arranging for the transportation of a horse to or from a show, exhibition, sale, or auction; (2) personally giving instructions to an exhibitor; or (3) being knowingly present in a warm-up area, inspection area, or other area that spectators are not permitted.

Permits USDA to permanently disqualify a person with at least three violations after notice and an opportunity for a hearing.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 2 versions

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Cosponsors 34
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 1406: PAST Act. 113th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/113-S-1406/
MLA
"S. 1406: PAST Act." 113th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/113-S-1406/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 1406, 113th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/113-S-1406/.
Markdown link
[S. 1406: PAST Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/113-S-1406/)
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