Sec. 16. [Investigations and Inspections]

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## Sec. 16 **[**Investigations and Inspections**]** **[**[7 U.S.C. 2146](/us/usc/t7/s2146)**]** ###

(a)The Secretary shall make such investigations or inspections as he deems necessary to determine whether any dealer, exhibitor, intermediate handler, carrier, research facility, or operator of an auction sale subject to section 12 of this Act, has violated or is violating any provision of this Act or any regulation or standard issued thereunder, and for such purposes, the Secretary shall, at all reasonable times, have access to the places of business and the facilities, animals, and those records required to be kept pursuant to section 10 of any such dealer, exhibitor, intermediate handler, carrier, research facility, or operator of an auction sale. The Secretary shall inspect each research facility at least once each year and, in the case of deficiencies or deviations from the standards promulgated under this Act, shall conduct such follow-up inspections as may be necessary until all deficiencies or deviations from such standards are corrected. The Secretary shall promulgate such rules and regulations as he deems necessary to permit inspectors to confiscate or destroy in a humane manner any animal found to be suffering as a result of a failure to comply with any provision of this Act or any regulation or standard issued thereunder if

(1)such animal is held by a dealer,

(2)such animal is held by an exhibitor,

(3)such animal is held by a research facility and is no longer required by such research facility to carry out the research, test, or experiment for which such animal has been utilized,

(4)such animal is held by an operator of an auction sale, or

(5)such animal is held by an intermediate handler or a carrier. ###

(b)Any person who forcibly assaults, resists, opposes, impedes, intimidates, or interferes with any person while engaged in or on account of the performance of his official duties under this Act shall be fined not more than $5,000, or imprisoned not more than three years, or both. Whoever, in the commission of such acts, uses a deadly or dangerous weapon shall be fined not more than $10,000, or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both. Whoever kills any person while engaged in or on account of the performance of his official duties under this Act shall be punished as provided under sections 1111 and 1114 of title 18, United States Code. ###

(c)For the efficient administration and enforcement of this Act and the regulations and standards promulgated under this Act, the provisions (including penalties) of sections 6, 8, 9, and 10 of the Act entitled “An Act to create a Federal Trade Commission, to define its powers and duties, and for other purposes,” approved September 26, 1914 (38 Stat. 721–723, as amended; 15 U.S.C. 46, 48, 49, and 50) (except paragraph

(c)through

(h)of section 6 and the last paragraph of section 9), and the provisions of Title II of the “Organized Crime Control Act of 1970” (62 Stat. 856; 18 U.S.C. 6001 et seq.), are made applicable to the jurisdiction, powers, and duties of the Secretary in administering and enforcing the provisions of this Act and to any person, firm, or corporation with respect to whom such authority is exercised. The Secretary may prosecute any inquiry necessary to his duties under this Act in any part of the United States, including any territory, or possession thereof, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The powers conferred by said sections 9 and 10 of the Act of September 26, 1914, as amended, on the district courts of the United States may be exercised for the purposes of this Act by any district court of the United States. The United States district courts, the District Court of Guam, the District Court of the Virgin Islands, the highest court of American Samos, and the United States courts of the other territories, are vested with jurisdiction specifically to enforce, and to prevent and restrain violations of this Act, and shall have jurisdiction in all other kinds of cases arising under this Act, except as provided in section 19(c) of this Act.

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