A new federal bill aimed at protecting sloths from trafficking and commercial exploitation was introduced Tuesday, in the wake of 55 sloth deaths tied to a failed Orlando attraction.

Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost, D-House District 10, joined Congresswoman Laurel Lee, R-House District 15, State Rep. Dr. Anna Eskamani, and animal welfare advocates at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens in Sanford to announce the introduction of the Stopping Legalized Organized Trafficking and Harm to Sloths (SLOTHS) Act.

The legislation would prohibit the importation of sloths into the United States, with limited exceptions for documented research and conservation-focused breeding programs at accredited institutions.

The bill comes in response to the deaths of 55 sloths connected to Sloth World, a planned interactive attraction on International Drive in Orlando that never opened. The sloths were imported from Guyana and Peru before the facility failed. Investigators with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office determined the deaths resulted from multiple factors, including disease, transportation stress, and nutritional deficiencies.

Orange County closed its investigation into the sloth deaths, but the Office of Statewide Prosecution has reopened the investigation.

The proposed SLOTHS Act would go through the congressional legislative process. The House and Senate must approve identical versions before sending the legislation to the president, who could sign it into law or veto it.

There is no confirmed timeline for passage and no guarantee the proposal will receive a vote. Frost says he hopes it passes by the end of this year.

The SLOTHS Act is endorsed by several organizations, including the Sloth Conservation Foundation, the Sloth Institute, and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.