Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act of 2005

In 1992, Congress passed the “Animal Enterprise Protection Act”. This act made it a federal crime to steal animals, damage property or generally disrupt activities involving animals, which includes rodeos, horse shows and other lawful equine competitive events. The AHC was a major supporter of the AEPA and worked hard along with other industry groups to make sure that the final legislation protected horse events.

On October 27, 2005, Senator James Inhofe introduced new legislation titled the “Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act of 2005” (S.1926) which amends and updates the 1992 law. Representative Tom Petri (R-WI) introduced companion legislation (H.R. 4239) in the House on November 4, 2005. These bills amend the AEPA to enhance the effectiveness of the response by the Department of Justice to the recent trends in the animal rights terrorist movements.

In introducing the bill, Representative Tom Petri pointed out that animal rights terrorists "have recognized the limits and ambiguities in the statute and have tailored their campaigns to exploit them."

In the new legislation, the property of a person or entity that is connected in some way with an animal enterprise would now be protected from intentional damage by animal rights terrorists, not just the animal enterprise itself which is currently all that is protected by law. In addition, the new legislation would prohibit threats to individuals and their families due to their relationship with an animal enterprise and would increase penalties for intentionally causing a person harm, either through economics, injury or threats. The legislation continues to protect the originally defined animal enterprises, which includes horse events, while expanding the definition of an animal enterprise to include commercial enterprises that use or sell animals or animal products for profit, including animal shelters, breeders, pet stores and furriers.

This legislation is important for the protection of the horse industry.