Captive Primate Safety Act

The Captive Primate Safety Act is a proposed United States legislation that modifies the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to treat nonhuman primates as prohibited wildlife species, allowing exemptions for zoos and research facilities. The bill would eliminate the use of primates in the domestic pet trade at a federal level. A December 2023 review found that the "U.S. ranked third out of 171 countries in the ease of purchasing a pet primate online, behind Indonesia and Vietnam." The bill, if passed, would raise U.S. standards to resemble those of the European Union, United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, and other countries where pet primates are strictly regulated.
The Captive Primate Safety Act was first introduced in 2005 and has been passed by the House of Representatives multiple times but, as of 2024, has not made it past both houses for a vote. As of November 2025, 19th Congress has bills in the Senate and the House.
In April 2024, the Captive Private Safety Act was introduced in Congress by U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer, and U.S. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick. In September 2024, Blumenthal held a press conference with Friends of Animals to promote the Act in the wake of the HBO series Chimp Crazy, which highlights disturbing examples of primate "pets".
The legislation is endorsed by Animal Welfare Institute, Friends of Animals, Born Free USA, Humane Society of the United States, Animal Legal Defense Fund, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Four Paws USA, Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, Association of Zoos and Aquariums, American Society of Primatologists, Small and Rural Law Enforcement Executives Association, and National Sheriffs Association, among others.

History

The Captive Primate Safety Act was first introduced in the United States House of Representatives by Rep. Eddie Johnson on March 16, 2005. The bill was reintroduced by Rep. Mark Kirk in February 2009 following the widely publicized mauling of Charla Nash by a pet chimpanzee Travis. Rep. Rob Bishop argued against the bill during the floor debate, noting it would cost $4 million annually and do nothing directly to prevent chimpanzee attacks on humans; he also noted such attacks are relatively rare. Twenty states and the District of Columbia already had laws banning primates as pets. On 23 February 2009 the House voted 323 to 95 in favor of the bill. Several Republicans who opposed to the bill said that animal control was a "states issue, not a federal issue." Early versions of the bill exempted monkey helpers.

Congress	Short title	Bill number	Date introduced	Sponsor	# of cosponsors	Latest status
109th Congress	Captive Primate Safety Act		March 16, 2005	Eddie Bernice Johnson	47	Died in committee
109th Congress	Captive Primate Safety Act of 2005		July 27, 2005	Jim Jeffords	6	Passed Senate
110th Congress	Captive Primate Safety Act		July 10, 2007	Eddie Bernice Johnson	25	Passed House
110th Congress	Captive Primate Safety Act		May 24, 2007	Barbara Boxer	5	Died in committee
111th Congress	Captive Primate Safety Act		January 6, 2009	Earl Blumenauer	27	Passed House
111th Congress	Captive Primate Safety Act		February 24, 2009	Barbara Boxer	8	Died in committee
112th Congress	Captive Primate Safety Act		March 29, 2012	Mike Fitzpatrick	9	Died in committee
112th Congress	Captive Primate Safety Act		July 5, 2011	Barbara Boxer	6	Died in committee
113th Congress	Captive Primate Safety Act		July 30, 2013	Mike Fitzpatrick	152	Died in committee
113th Congress	Captive Primate Safety Act		August 1, 2013	Barbara Boxer	25	Died in committee
114th Congress	Captive Primate Safety Act		June 25, 2015	Mike Fitzpatrick	75	Died in committee
116th Congress	Captive Primate Safety Act		March 14, 2019	Earl Blumenauer	66	Died in committee
116th Congress	Captive Primate Safety Act		September 26, 2019	Richard Blumenthal	12	Died in committee
117th Congress	Captive Primate Safety Act		May 12, 2021	Earl Blumenauer	67	Referred to committee
117th Congress	Captive Primate Safety Act		May 12, 2021	Richard Blumenthal	11	Referred to committee
118th Congress	Captive Primate Safety Act		April 30, 2024	Earl Blumenauer	42	Referred to committee
118th Congress	Captive Primate Safety Act		April 30, 2024	Richard Blumenthal	6	Referred to committee
119th Congress			May 5, 2025	Mike Quigley	39