Sponsors (12)
Introduced May 5, 2025 by Richard Blumenthal · Last progress May 5, 2025
The bill sharply reduces public health risks and improves primate welfare by banning private trade, breeding, and public contact with high‑risk primates and requiring registration and regulations, but it imposes compliance costs and revenue losses on current owners, exhibitors, and some research institutions while creating a tight regulatory transition.
The general public is better protected from zoonotic disease and dangerous primate encounters because the bill bans interstate commerce, private breeding, and public contact with high‑risk nonhuman primates.
Nonhuman primates are likely to experience better welfare because the bill prevents private trade and breeding that often leads to poor captive conditions.
State and federal agencies, and current primate holders, get clearer regulatory requirements because the bill requires registration of pre‑enactment primates and directs the Interior Secretary to issue implementing regulations within 180 days.
Zoos, sanctuaries, exhibitors, animal traders, and other businesses that lawfully traded or exhibited primates will lose the ability to buy, sell, or publicly exhibit high‑risk primates, reducing revenue and program offerings.
Individual owners and facilities with pre‑enactment primates face new administrative and facility compliance costs because they must register, stop breeding, and limit public contact.
Some scientific research could be restricted or face added compliance burdens because USDA‑registered research institutions are only exempt if registered and in good standing, which may limit accessible primate resources or raise paperwork/costs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Amends the Lacey Act to ban most interstate/foreign commerce, transport, sale, breeding, and possession of listed nonhuman primates, with limited exemptions and registration for pre-existing owners.
Makes it illegal under the Lacey Act to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, purchase in interstate or foreign commerce, breed, or possess most live nonhuman primates (a list of named species and hybrids). It allows limited, regulated possession of primates born before the law takes effect if owners register, agree not to breed, and restrict public contact, and it exempts certain transporters and registered USDA research facilities. The Department of the Interior must issue implementing regulations within 180 days, but prohibitions are enforceable even if regulations are delayed.