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

Pigs and Public Health Act (Federal)

H.R. 8994 

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

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)

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 (2)

Illinois (1)

Indiana (1)

Kansas (1)

Kentucky (1)

Maryland (2)

Massachusetts (2)

Michigan (2)

Missouri (2)

New Hampshire (1)

New Jersey (5)

New York (3)

Ohio (1)

Washington (3)

A Bill to Ban Wild Animals in Circuses (Washington)

An Act Relating to Prohibiting the Use of Certain Animals in Traveling Animal Acts (S.B.5065)

Prohibits the use of certain wild animals in circuses and traveling animal acts in Washington.

Providing Shelter to Companion Animals in Disasters (Washington)

H.B.1201

This bill would require counties or cities in Washington to designate emergency shelters that can accommodate companion animals.

Ensuring Wildlife Connectivity Act (Washington)

S.B.5203

The bill would protect wildlife from vehicle collisions and prevent habitat fragmentation by providing safe corridors, such as over- and underpasses.

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.

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.

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.