# 119-s-4172: AFTER Act of 2026

119-s-4172, AFTER Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME] (R-ME); status introduced (as of 2026-07-30).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4172
- As of: 2026-07-30
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4172
- Congress: 119
- Title: AFTER Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-03-24
- Sponsor: Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME] (R-ME)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Animals
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-30

## Summary

**Requires retirement and placement of federal research animals with rescues, sanctuaries, shelters, or adopters.** It would set definitions and standards for who may receive retired animals and require agencies to adopt regulations within 90 days to guide those placements. - Federal research facilities would have to follow Secretary-issued standards and promulgate rules within 90 days that promote adoption or placement with rescues, sanctuaries, shelters, or caring individuals. Regulations must encourage working with nonprofit organizations and consider placements beyond the facility's immediate area. - Nonprofit animal rescue organizations, sanctuaries, and shelters would be recognized as eligible placement partners under defined terms. Sanctuaries must provide lifetime care, not breed or engage in commercial trade, and must limit public contact. - Nonhuman primates would be directed to placement with animal sanctuaries rather than general adopters. Covered animals must be evaluated by a licensed veterinarian and found mentally and physically healthy to be "suitable for retirement." - State and local laws that are more stringent would remain in force and existing chimpanzee sanctuary systems under the Public Health Service Act would be preserved.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI] (D-MI), 2026-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2026-06-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-07-28T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New rules to retire research animals: benefit, low. If enacted, this bill would set federal rules for retiring animals used in research. It would define rescue groups, sanctuaries, and shelters and say which animals count as "covered animals." Rats (Rattus) and mice (Mus) would be excluded. A licensed veterinarian would have to find an animal "suita…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-2178: Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act of 2025
- 119-s-1552: Living Donor Protection Act of 2025
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025
- 119-s-410: Love Lives On Act of 2025
- 119-s-1816: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-4172 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4172)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-2178: Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2178)
- [119-s-1552: Living Donor Protection Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1552)
- [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241)
- [119-s-410: Love Lives On Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-410)
- [119-s-1816: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1816)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4172 (as of 2026-07-30).