H.R. 8723

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8723 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8723

To amend the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit gambling on animal fighting 
ventures, and for other purposes.

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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 11, 2026

Mr. Bacon introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Agriculture

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A BILL

To amend the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit gambling on animal fighting 
ventures, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-
risk Trafficking Act of 2026'' or the ``FIGHT Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. ANIMAL FIGHTING.

Section 26 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2156) is amended--
(1) by striking the section designation and header and all 
that follows through ``It shall be unlawful'' in subsection 
(a)(2) and inserting the following:

``SEC. 26. SPONSORING OR EXHIBITING AN ANIMAL IN, ATTENDING, CAUSING AN 
INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS NOT ATTAINED THE AGE OF 16 TO ATTEND, 
OR GAMBLING ON, AN ANIMAL FIGHTING VENTURE.

``(a) Sponsoring or Exhibiting.--
``(1) In general.--It shall be unlawful for any person to 
knowingly sponsor or exhibit an animal in an animal fighting 
venture.
``(2) Attending or causing an individual who has not 
attained the age of 16 to attend.--It shall be unlawful''; and
(2) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following:
``(3) Animal venture gambling.--It shall be unlawful for 
any person to gamble on an animal fighting venture, including 
an in-person or broadcast event.''.
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