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

The Farm Bill (119th Congress)

(H.R. 7567/S. 5526)

The Farm Bill is a multiyear law that governs an array of agricultural, food, and conservation programs.

Captive Primate Safety Act (Federal)

(H.R.3199/ S.1594)

The Captive Primate Safety Act prohibits the private possession of nonhuman primates as well as the breeding, sale, or transport of these animals for the “pet” trade.

Canyon’s Law (Federal)

H.R.4180/S.2179

This legislation would ban M-44s — spring-loaded devices filled with sodium cyanide used to kill native carnivores and so-called “pest” species — from public lands.

Pigs and Public Health Act (Federal)

H.R. 4757

This bill aims to reduce the number of nonambulatory or ”downed” pigs — pigs who cannot stand or walk unassisted — in the food system.

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)

Connecticut (1)

Florida (2)

Hawaii (1)

Massachusetts (2)

Michigan (1)

Missouri (2)

New Jersey (4)

New York (2)

Ohio (1)

Washington (2)

Act Promoting Pet Equity, Treatment and Safety (PETS Act) (Massachusetts)

S. 3028/H. 5589

The PETS Act would keep companion animals together with their families, prevent cruelty for animals in puppy mills and cosmetics testing laboratories, and redirect certain state resources to help animals.

Protecting Children and Animals (Florida)

H.B. 559/S.B. 676

Florida state bill would require juveniles who commit acts of animal cruelty to undergo mandatory psychological evaluation and would increase penalties for committing animal cruelty in the presence of a minor.

Requiring Dog-Encounter Training for Police Officers (Missouri)

H.B. 1719 (“Teddy’s Law”)

Missouri state legislation would require police officers to take training on how to properly handle canine encounters following a 2024 incident in which Teddy, a 13-pound blind and deaf dog, was shot and killed by an officer after wandering away from home.

Rodenticide Ban (Washington)

H.B. 2516

An Act Relating to Rodenticides will place a moratorium on all anticoagulant rodenticides as well as rodenticides that include bromethalin as an ingredient.

A Bill to Add a Companion Animal Protection Order for Victims of Domestic Violence (New York)

S. 8035

New York state legislation would authorize courts, upon issuance of an order of protection, to order that the exclusive care, custody, and control of certain companion animals be granted to the petitioner.

Protecting Animal and Human Victims of Domestic Violence (Florida)

H.B. 277/S.B. 682

The Domestic Emergency and Batterers Reform and Accountability Act (H.B. 277/S.B. 682) would add animal abuse to the definition of domestic violence under Florida law.

SEE ALL STATE BILLS →