Congress bans private primate ownership to protect endangered species
H.R. 3199 — Captive Primate Safety Act of 2025 · Filed by Mike Quigley (D-IL) · 53 cosponsors · Introduced May 5, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends the Lacey Act to ban the import, export, breeding, and possession of nonhuman primates (apes, monkeys, lemurs, and hybrids) in the United States, with narrow exceptions for existing animals registered within 180 days, research facilities, and transport. Citizens benefit by eliminating a market for captive primates that fuels poaching and animal suffering; the bill restricts private individuals and commercial entities from owning or trading these animals.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is a prohibition on private ownership and commercial trade in captive primates, modeled on the Big Cat Public Safety Act. It is a straightforward animal-welfare and conservation measure with no hidden commercial or political carve-outs.
What the text implies
- Existing private primate owners face a hard deadline (180 days) to register or face criminal liability; animals not registered become contraband and may be seized or euthanized.
- Research facilities retain an exemption if registered with USDA and in good standing, creating a potential loophole for facilities to conduct primate research without public oversight beyond USDA inspection.
- The bill does not fund animal sanctuaries or relocation programs for surrendered primates, potentially creating a welfare crisis if owners cannot find placement.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Ordinary citizens gain protection from a market that drives poaching of endangered primates and animal cruelty; the bill restricts private ownership and commercial trade, which are not core public rights. Existing owners face a one-time registration requirement and a breeding ban, a modest compliance cost weighed against ecosystem and animal-welfare gains.
Named in the bill
United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Agriculture, Lacey Act Amendments of 1981, Big Cat Public Safety Act
Where it stands
53 cosponsors: 45 Democrats, 8 Republicans.
- May 5, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- May 5, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
10 lobbying clients named this bill on 18 disclosure filings across 3 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $715,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 8 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 91% of bills with at least one filing.
Mike Quigley, the sponsor, reported $552,948 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- World Wildlife Fund, Inc. — $220,000 on 1 filing
- Animal Legal Defense Fund — $140,000 on 2 filings
- American Zoo and Aquarium Association — $100,000 on 2 filings
- Animal Welfare Institute Fka Society for Animal Protective Legislation — $70,000 on 2 filings
- Animal Legal Defense Fund — $60,000 on 2 filings
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (4,447 characters) on Sep 7, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,398 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 20, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-23.
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