Sponsors (3)
The bill expands humane retirement and placement options for many federal research animals and preserves stronger state/local protections, but it imposes administrative and financial burdens on agencies and research facilities and omits the most commonly used lab animals (rats and mice).
Medically fit animals used in federal research (other than rats and mice) can be retired and placed with rescues, shelters, licensed sanctuaries, or private adopters, increasing their chances of long-term care and humane outcomes.
The law encourages nationwide placement and formal collaboration with 501(c)(3) nonprofits, expanding rehoming pathways and capacity for animals retired from federal research.
Preserves the ability of states and localities to keep or adopt stronger animal-welfare protections, letting jurisdictions maintain higher standards than the federal baseline.
Federal agencies are required to adopt implementing regulations within 90 days, creating administrative burden and short-term compliance costs for agency staff and operations.
Research facilities and federal laboratories may face substantial costs to have animals evaluated by licensed veterinarians and to coordinate national placements or transfers to sanctuaries, potentially increasing taxpayer expenses.
Mandated placement requirements could reduce flexibility for research facilities and investigators in managing or disposing of animals, complicating study logistics and potentially harming research continuity.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires federal agencies to adopt rules within 90 days to retire/place covered research animals (excluding rats and mice) with rescues, sanctuaries, shelters, or qualified individuals and to follow Animal Welfare Act standards.
Official title: Amend the Animal Welfare Act to allow for the retirement of certain animals used in Federal research, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 24, 2026 by Susan Margaret Collins · Last progress March 24, 2026
Requires federal departments, agencies, and instrumentalities that operate laboratory animal facilities or exhibit animals to adopt policies and regulations to retire or rehome animals no longer needed for research, excluding animals of the genera Rattus and Mus. Defines key terms (animal rescue organization, sanctuary, shelter, covered animal, nonprofit, and “suitable for retirement”), directs agencies to follow existing Animal Welfare Act standards, and mandates issuance of regulations within 90 days to facilitate placement with rescues, sanctuaries, shelters, qualified individuals, and national placement coordination while preserving stricter state or local animal-welfare laws and existing chimpanzee sanctuary placement rules. The bill adds definitions into the Animal Welfare Act, requires federal entities to use standards already promulgated under section 13 of the Act, and makes technical renumbering changes to that section to reflect the new structure.