Animal Legislative Update --July 21, 2026
from the desk of Vanessa Gagne
UPDATES
- Gov Pritzker signs performing exotic animal ban into law, adds big cats, bears, and primates.
- The MA parrot sale ban has been left out of the agenda for the next committee and both attempts to approve amendments to bring it back have been dropped. MA still has until the 31st for its formal session.
- Department of the Interior Restores Clear ESA Enforcement by Rescinding Misguided “Harm” Definition
For more information, check out the NAIA Website here
- Trump Administration Finalizes Endangered Species Act Regulation Reform
The revisions focus on two main areas of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). First, they remove the previous “blanket rule” that automatically gave strict protections to all newly listed “threatened” species. Instead, each threatened species will now have tailored rules designed to better fit its specific needs. This change aims to provide more effective protection while also reducing unnecessary challenges for landowners, states, and development projects (removing redundancy, red tape, and mountains of paperwork). Second, the revisions require that economic, national security, and other relevant factors must be clearly considered when designating critical habitats. Areas can be excluded from these habitats if doing so won't jeopardize the species' survival. The changes also highlight the importance of working with states, local landowners, and families who have managed the land for generations. Finally, these updates reflect recent legal and policy shifts, going back to the Chevron deference again, and new executive orders focused on energy and deregulation, which influenced the updated definition of “harm.”
IN THE NEWS
