# 119-s-1104: WATCH Act

119-s-1104, WATCH Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO] (R-MO); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-22).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1104
- As of: 2026-04-22
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-1104
- Congress: 119
- Title: WATCH Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-03-25
- Sponsor: Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO] (R-MO)
- Cosponsors: 6
- Policy area: unknown
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-22

## Summary

**Mandatory quarterly inspections and certifications for foreign labs that receive NIH funds** would tie grant eligibility to verified compliance with U.S. animal‑welfare rules for biomedical and behavioral research. The law would require visible proof that foreign facilities meet standards before they can keep federally funded animal research. - Foreign laboratories would face quarterly inspections that assess animal care committees, reviews of animal treatment, and recordkeeping. Inspecting authorities would issue certificates of compliance after each inspection. - The National Institutes of Health and its Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare would maintain and publish certificates alongside Animal Welfare Assurances. Labs that fail inspections would get a chance to fix problems and could have grants suspended or revoked if they do not. - The Secretary would coordinate with foreign regulators and may enter agreements with foreign governments to carry out inspections while respecting foreign laws. The inspection and certification process would begin 180 days after enactment.

## Cosponsors (6)

- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2025-03-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE] (R-NE), 2025-03-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA] (D-PA), 2025-03-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL] (R-FL), 2025-03-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI] (D-MI), 2025-03-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA] (R-IA), 2025-03-25T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Quarterly inspections for foreign labs: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would require foreign laboratories that get NIH funds or hold an Animal Welfare Assurance to be inspected every three months. Inspections would check animal care committees, review of animal treatment, and record-keeping. A designated authority would issue a certificate after e…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1816: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.
- 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona.
- 119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham, a Senator from the State of South Carolina.
- 119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former Senator for the State of Michigan.
- 119-sres-739: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for the State of California.

## Sources
- [119-s-1104 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1104)

## Related
- [119-s-1816: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1816)
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897)
- [119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham,…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-801)
- [119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former S…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-755)
- [119-sres-739: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-739)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1104 (as of 2026-04-22).