# The PRIMATES Act of 2024: What It Does

This bill would stop the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—the federal agency that funds most medical research in the United States—from conducting or paying for research that causes significant pain or distress to primates like monkeys and chimpanzees. Essentially, if an NIH-funded study would cause a primate serious suffering, the NIH couldn't do it or fund someone else to do it. The ban would take effect 90 days after the bill becomes law.

The bill defines "significant pain or distress" using the Department of Agriculture's existing classification system, which categorizes research based on how much suffering animals experience. Only the most painful categories (D and E) would be prohibited. This means some primate research could continue—just not the studies that cause the most severe pain. The NIH also couldn't transfer primates it owns to other laboratories if those labs plan to use them in painful research.

Beyond the ban, the bill requires the NIH to publish detailed annual reports about all its primate research. These reports would list every ongoing study involving primates, including how much it costs taxpayers, how many animals are used, and what pain category it falls under. Congress would also receive these reports so lawmakers can see exactly how federal research dollars are being spent on primate studies. Additionally, the bill requires an independent government audit to evaluate whether the NIH is doing enough to find alternatives to using primates and to assess how well the agency is retiring primates from research to animal sanctuaries.

For most Americans, this bill wouldn't directly affect daily life, but it would change what kinds of medical research the government funds. Supporters argue it prevents unnecessary animal suffering, while critics might worry it could slow certain types of medical research. The transparency requirements mean the public would finally have clear information about primate research happening with their tax dollars.