# 119-hr-10774: SWIMS Act of 2026

119-hr-10774, SWIMS Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1] (D-WA); status introduced (as of 2026-10-31).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10774
- As of: 2026-10-31
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-10774
- Congress: 119
- Title: SWIMS Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-10-09
- Sponsor: Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1] (D-WA)
- Cosponsors: 25
- Policy area: Animals
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-31

## Summary

**Prohibits public display and breeding of orcas, belugas, false killer whales, and pilot whales.** This bill would make it unlawful to export, import, take, or breed these four cetaceans for the purpose of public display, while allowing narrow exceptions for release to the wild or transfer to a qualifying sanctuary. - For the animals and sanctuaries: It steers affected animals away from exhibition and toward sanctuaries or release, and defines sanctuaries as nonprofit places that prioritize individual well‑being and mimic natural environments as closely as possible. - For public display facilities and breeders: It would bar any permit that authorizes taking or importing these species for display and would make breeding or artificial insemination for display purposes unlawful under the Animal Welfare Act. - For commercial fishing and transfers: Incidental takes in commercial fishing remain limited to existing narrow statutory exceptions, and export is generally prohibited except for transfer to a certified sanctuary or release to the wild.

## Cosponsors (25)

- Rep. Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3] (D-OR), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (D-OR), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Case, Ed [D-HI-1] (D-HI), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Casten, Sean [D-IL-6] (D-IL), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Castor, Kathy [D-FL-14] (D-FL), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9] (D-NY), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DeGette, Diana [D-CO-1] (D-CO), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10] (D-NY), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2] (D-CA), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hoyle, Val T. [D-OR-4] (D-OR), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8] (D-IL), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2] (D-MA), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6] (D-MA), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15] (D-CA), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-12] (D-NY), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6] (D-OR), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Scanlon, Mary Gay [D-PA-5] (D-PA), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9] (D-WA), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1] (D-NV), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2] (D-HI), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN), 2026-10-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Walkinshaw, James R. [D-VA-11] (D-VA), 2026-10-19T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Bans breeding whales for public display: cost, low. If enacted, the bill would make it unlawful for any person to breed or artificially inseminate orcas, beluga whales, false killer whales, or pilot whales when the offspring would be used for public display. The ban would apply upon enactment and would directly stop breeding aimed at producing displ…
- Limits permits for whale display: cost, low. If enacted, the bill would bar the Secretary from issuing any permit to take or import orcas, beluga whales, false killer whales, or pilot whales for public display. It would also narrow incidental-take permits during commercial fishing so those permits are allowed only as provided in section 101(a…
- Limits whale exports and sanctuaries: cost, low. If enacted, the bill would make it unlawful to export orcas, beluga whales, false killer whales, and pilot whales. An exception would allow transport only to a marine mammal sanctuary if the Secretary finds it is in the individual animal’s best interest, or for release to the wild. The bill would d…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-8800: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-10774 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/10774)

## Related
- [119-hr-8800: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8800)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5390)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10774 (as of 2026-10-31).