Captive Primate Safety Act
Sponsored By: Senator Richard Blumenthal
Introduced
Summary
Creates a broad ban on private ownership and commercial trade of live nonhuman primates. It would define covered species such as chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, monkeys, lemurs, and others and set registration, possession, and movement rules.
Show full summary
- Families and private owners: Individuals would be barred from buying, selling, importing, exporting, transporting, or possessing listed primate species in interstate or foreign commerce. Owners of animals born before enactment must register each animal within 180 days and may not breed, acquire, or sell them or allow direct public contact.
- Dealers and transporters: The bill would bar most commercial trade but creates a narrow exception for entities that have custody only to expeditiously move a primate to an authorized recipient.
- Research facilities and rulemaking: Research facilities registered with the Department of Agriculture in good standing could continue to hold covered primates for research. The Secretary of the Interior would have 180 days to issue implementing regulations and a missed deadline would not affect enforceability.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 1 costs, 1 mixed.
New limits on owning primates
If enacted, the bill would list many live nonhuman primates as "prohibited primate species," including chimpanzees, gibbons, gorillas, lemurs, lorises, monkeys, orangutans, tarsiers, galagos, and hybrids. It would generally ban importing, exporting, transporting, selling, receiving, acquiring, purchasing, breeding, or possessing those primates in interstate or foreign commerce. The bill would allow narrow exceptions for short-term transport to an authorized place and for research facilities registered with USDA in good standing. Owners of primates born before enactment could keep them only if they register each animal with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within 180 days, stop breeding, acquiring, or selling such animals after enactment, and bar direct public contact.
Rulemaking deadline and enforcement
If enacted, the Department of the Interior would have 180 days to write rules implementing the primate changes. The bill would also say the statutory bans and exceptions still apply even if the Department misses that deadline. This mainly affects agencies and regulated parties, not most households.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Richard Blumenthal
CT • D
Cosponsors
Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
NJ • D
Sponsored 5/5/2025
Kirsten Gillibrand
NY • D
Sponsored 5/5/2025
Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA]
CA • D
Sponsored 5/5/2025
Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN]
MN • D
Sponsored 5/5/2025
Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
MA • D
Sponsored 5/5/2025
Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]
CA • D
Sponsored 6/17/2025
Peter Welch
VT • D
Sponsored 7/17/2025
Chris Van Hollen
MD • D
Sponsored 9/2/2025
Rep. Slotkin, Elissa [D-MI-7]
MI • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD]
MD • D
Sponsored 9/29/2025
Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE]
DE • D
Sponsored 2/23/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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