# 119-hr-2185: Mink VIRUS Act

119-hr-2185, Mink VIRUS Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13] (D-NY); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2185
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-2185
- Congress: 119
- Title: Mink VIRUS Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-03-18
- Sponsor: Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13] (D-NY)
- Cosponsors: 6
- Policy area: Agriculture and Food
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**A nationwide ban on mink farming** would end commercial mink fur operations one year after enactment. The bill would also require humane euthanasia within 90 days and create a USDA payment program to compensate fur-farm owners. - Fur-farm owners would be eligible for payments that cover reasonable costs to comply and the market value of the mink portion of their operation, excluding land. Recipients may not use funds to operate a fur farm and must grant a permanent easement that bars future fur farming on the easement area. - Any termination of farmed mink after 90 days must meet USDA euthanasia rules and be classified as "acceptable" by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Violations can trigger civil penalties up to $10,000 per day for ongoing noncompliance and up to $10,000 per mink for improper terminations. - USDA must establish the payment program within 180 days and the bill supplies funding via a $100 million Treasury transfer available until expended. *Funds the compensation program with a $100 million transfer from the Treasury and directs that those budgetary effects be excluded from PAYGO scorecards.*

## Cosponsors (6)

- Rep. Barragán, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44] (D-CA), 2025-03-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10] (D-FL), 2025-03-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2025-03-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10] (D-NY), 2026-04-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2026-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Escobar, Veronica [D-TX-16] (D-TX), 2026-09-08T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- USDA buyout payments for mink farms: benefit, high. USDA would set up a payment program within 180 days for owners of mink fur farms. Treasury would send $100 million within 60 days to fund it, available until spent. Payments would cover reasonable costs to stop and the mink‑related market value of your operation, excluding land, as of the day befor…
- Mink farm ban and big fines: cost, high. This bill would ban mink farming one year after enactment. Any termination of farmed mink would have to be done within 90 days after enactment and be humane. Methods would need to meet the federal euthanasia definition and be rated "acceptable" by the latest AVMA guidelines. Fines could be up to $1…
- Defines fur, mink, and fur farms: mixed, low. The bill would define "fur", "fur farm", "mink", and "State". These terms would decide which animals, products, and farms the ban, fines, and payments apply to. For example, skins turned into leather and cowhide with hair would be excluded.

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2086: Rights for the TSA Workforce Act
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-2185 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2185)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [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-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [119-hr-2086: Rights for the TSA Workforce Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2086)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2185 (as of 2026-09-21).