AFTER Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 4172 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4172 To amend the Animal Welfare Act to allow for the retirement of certain animals used in Federal research, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 24, 2026 Ms. Collins (for herself and Mr. Peters) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Animal Welfare Act to allow for the retirement of certain animals used in Federal research, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Animal Freedom from Testing, Experiments, and Research Act of 2026'' or the ``AFTER Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. PLACEMENT OF ANIMALS USED IN FEDERAL RESEARCH. (a) In General.--Section 14 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2144) is amended to read as follows: ``SEC. 14. STANDARDS FOR FEDERAL FACILITIES. ``(a) Definitions.--In this section: ``(1) Animal rescue organization.--The term `animal rescue organization' means a nonprofit organization the purpose of which is to rescue covered animals and find permanent adoptive homes for those animals. ``(2) Animal sanctuary.--The term `animal sanctuary' means a nonprofit organization that-- ``(A) is registered with the Secretary; ``(B) operates a place of refuge in which-- ``(i) a covered animal is provided care for the lifetime of the animal; and ``(ii) an unescorted public visitation of that animal is not permitted; ``(C) does not engage in commercial trade of covered animals; ``(D) does not breed covered animals; ``(E) does not permit direct contact between the public and covered animals; ``(F) doe