Legislation

Strengthening Laws that Protect Animals and Striking Down Laws Hurting Animals

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The Animal Legal Defense Fund works at the federal, state and local levels to advance important legislation. We advocate for laws that promote or protect the lives and interests of animals, and we oppose legislation that would be detrimental to animals’ well-being.

We also work closely with the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s other programs to identify opportunities to create model legislation that address strategic legal issues in the areas of civil and criminal law, and monitor legislation that impacts animals at the federal, state, and local levels.

Federal Bills

Opposing the Cultivation and Trade of Octopus Produced through Unethical Strategies (OCTOPUS) Act (Federal)

S.4810

The Opposing the Cultivation and Trade of Octopus Produced through Unethical Strategies (OCTOPUS) Act would ban commercial octopus farming in the U.S. and prohibit imports of farmed octopus from foreign countries.

Captive Primate Safety Act (Federal)

Federal Legislation

The Captive Primate Safety Act prohibits private possession of nonhuman primates and the sale or transportation of nonhuman primates for the wild “pet” trade.

Strengthening Welfare in Marine Settings (SWIMS) Act (Federal) 

H.R.7145/ S.3694

The SWIMS Act (H.R.7145 / S.3694) would end the exploitation and mistreatment of orcas, beluga whales, pilot whales, and false killer whales held in captivity by amending the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)

Mink VIRUS Act (Federal)

H.R. 3783

Congress is considering a ban on mink farming to protect public health and human safety from the risk of disease transmission, including COVID-19 and avian flu, to people and wild mink populations, as well as to address concerns of animal well-being.

SEE ALL FEDERAL BILLS →

State Bills

State-level advocacy actions are available for those states in session. Each state has its own legislative schedule, holding sessions on predefined intervals.

Location

All

California (1)

Florida (1)

Hawaii (1)

Illinois (1)

Indiana (1)

Kansas (1)

Kentucky (1)

Maryland (2)

Massachusetts (3)

Michigan (2)

Missouri (2)

New Jersey (5)

New York (3)

Ohio (1)

Pennsylvania (3)

Courtroom Animal Advocate Program (Michigan)

H.B. 6024 

Courtroom Animal Advocate Program (CAAP) laws allow advocates — supervised law students or volunteer lawyers — to advocate for animal victims in criminal cruelty cases.

Pigeon Shoot Ban Bill (Pennsylvania)

H.B. 2139

Pennsylvania state bill aims to prohibit cruel pigeon shoots in the state.

A Bill to Ban Wild Animals in Circuses (New York)

A.4005-A/S.4363-A

This New York bill would prohibit the use of certain wild animals in circuses or traveling animal acts throughout the state, including big cats, bears, nonhuman primates, kangaroos, and wallabies.

Humane Pet Store Bill (New Jersey)

S.2511/A.4051

This bill would prohibit the retail sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in New Jersey pet shops.

Restricting Public Contact with Wild Animals (Pennsylvania)

H.B. 1451

This bill would restrict the public from feeding or having direct physical contact with wildlife without a separating barrier.

The Mink Facility Disease Prevention Act (Illinois)

S.B. 3262

This bill would phase out mink farming in Illinois until it’s fully banned in January 2025.

SEE ALL STATE BILLS →

Recent Victories

Coercive Control Bill (Massachusetts)

S. 2820

Legislation would help victims of domestic violence, both human and animal, by updating the Commonwealth’s legal definition of abuse to include regarding “coercive control” to include committing or threatening to commit cruelty to the animal companion.

Room to Roam Act (California)

A.B. 1889

This bill would help protect California wildlife and prioritize climate resilience by establishing a statewide policy requiring local governments to consider and implement measures to protect and improve wildlife connectivity through land-use planning.

Poison-Free Wildlife Act (California)

A.B. 2552

The Poison-Free Wildlife Act would place a moratorium on some of the most dangerous rodenticides — which cause widespread poisoning of wildlife — with limited exceptions.