No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section revises section 14 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2144) to define terms including "covered animal" (i.e., unwanted, abandoned, or otherwise in need of placement animals, excluding rats of genus *Rattus* and mice of genus *Mus*), "animal sanctuary," "animal shelter," "animal rescue organization," "nonprofit organization," and "suitable for retirement" (i.e., mentally and physically healthy per veterinary evaluation). It requires any U.S. department, agency, or instrumentality operating a federal research facility to promulgate regulations, not later than 90 days after enactment of the AFTER Act of 2026 and after public notice and comment, to facilitate and encourage adoption or placement of covered animals no longer needed for research and suitable for retirement with (1) animal rescue organizations, animal sanctuaries, animal shelters, or individuals intending to keep the animal as a pet; or (2) in the case of nonhuman primates, animal sanctuaries. (Thus, regulations must consider national placement options beyond the facility's geographic vicinity and require collaboration with appropriate nonprofit organizations to the maximum extent practicable.) It specifies that these requirements do not preempt more stringent state or local laws on animal adoption or placement; do not impede chimpanzee placement into the sanctuary system under section 404K of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 283m); and do not prevent states or localities from enforcing stricter animal welfare laws. This section also makes technical amendments to section 13 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2143) by redesignating subsections (g) and (h) as (h) and (i), respectively, and redesignating the second subsection (f) as subsection (g).