Humane Methods of Slaughter Act of 1978
Public Law 95-445 · S. 3092 · 95th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Oct 10, 1978 · Agriculture and Food
Sponsor: Sen. Robert Dole (R-KS)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Edward Brooke
Passage votes
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateMethod not stated
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Humane methods of Slaughter Act - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to require the Secretary of Agriculture to appoint inspectors to examine the methods by which cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules, and other equines are handled and slaughtered in those establishments which slaughter such animals for commercial use. Authorizes the Secretary to temporarily suspend inspection upon a finding that any livestock has been handled or slaughtered in a method contrary to those specified in the Humane Slaughter Act of 1958.
Forbids the importation of meat into the United States unless the livestock from which it was produced was slaughtered by a humane method.
Amends the Humane Slaughter Act of 1958 to repeal provisions which confined the required application of humane methods to establishments which sold to the Federal Government. Eliminates the identification procedures and purchasing policies promulgated with such provisions.
Stipulates that specified types of religious ritual slaughter are exempt from all provisions of this Act.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 12 actions.
- Oct 10, 1978Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 95-445.
- Sep 29, 1978PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Sep 28, 1978Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendments.
- Sep 19, 1978FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended, in lieu of H.R. 1464.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in House.
- Aug 7, 1978FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- Aug 1, 1978CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- May 17, 1978CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.