PAST Act

openUnited States· United States Congress· EN

Introduced

31 July 2013

Last action

15 September 2014 · Reported

Status

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

Summary

Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2013 or the PAST Act - Amends the Horse Protection Act (HPA) to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to prescribe regulatory requirements for the Department of Agriculture (USDA) 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. (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.) Prohibits issuing a license to any person unless such person is free from conflicts of interest. Requires the Secretary, in issuing such licenses, to give a preference to persons who are licensed or accredited veterinarians. Replaces the current horse inspector appointment process under which the management of a horse show, exhibition, sale, or auction appoints inspectors with a new process requiring the Secretary to assign USDA-licensed inspectors after receiving notice that management intends to hire such inspectors. Requires the Secretary to publish on the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's website information on violations of such Act. Directs the Secretary to disqualify a horse the Secretary determines is sore for specified minimum 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: (1) showing or exhibiting any horse that is sore; (2) entering any horse that is sore for the purpose of showing or exhibiting the horse; (3) selling, auctioning, or offering for sale any horse that is sore; (4) causing or directing a horse to become sore for the purpose of showing, exhibiting, selling, auctioning, or offering for sale the horse; and (5) allowing any such activity with respect to a horse that is sore by the owner of that horse. Expands a list of activities designated as unlawful conduct under such Act to include a prohibition on showing, exhibiting, selling, or auctioning a Tennessee Walking, a Racking, or a Spotted Saddle horse with: (1) an action device; or (2) a weighted shoe, pad, wedge, hoof band, or other device or material if it is constructed to artificially alter the gait of such horses and is not strictly protective or therapeutic. Defines "action device" as any boot, collar, chain, roller, or other device that encircles or is placed upon the lower extremity of the leg of a horse in a manner that it can: (1) rotate around the leg or slide up and down the leg, so as to cause friction; or (2) strike the hoof, coronet band, fetlock joint, or pastern of the horse. Excludes from such term soft rubber or soft leather bell boots or quarter boots that are used as protective devices. Increases the maximum criminal penalties and maximum civil liability penalties for certain HPA violations. Expands the categories of activities the Secretary may disqualify a violator of such Act from participating in to include: (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 the Secretary to permanently disqualify a person with at least three violations after notice and an opportunity for a hearing.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

31 July 2013
Introduced
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Source: IntroReferral
31 July 2013
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
Source: IntroReferral
9 April 2014
Reported
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Source: Committee
15 September 2014
Calendars
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 562.
Source: Calendars
15 September 2014
Reported
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.
Source: Committee
15 September 2014
Reported
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.
Source: Committee

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

Reported to Senate · 15 September 2014 · Download file
Introduced in Senate · 31 July 2013 · Download file

Documents

6 official files

Reported to Senate (text)

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Reported to Senate (text)
Reported to Senate · EN · 15 September 2014
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Reported to Senate (PDF)
Reported to Senate · EN · 15 September 2014
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Reported to Senate with amendment(s)
summary · EN · 15 September 2014
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Introduced in Senate (text)
Introduced in Senate · EN · 31 July 2013
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Introduced in Senate (PDF)
Introduced in Senate · EN · 31 July 2013
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Introduced in Senate
summary · EN · 31 July 2013
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Related records

related to → PAST Act

Sources

PoliticalRepo is an index and interpretation layer, not the authoritative legal source.

Official source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/1406
Open data entity: https://api.congress.gov/v3/bill/113/s/1406
us · 113-s-1406 · source updated 5 December 2025