Animal Testing: Not My Dog! (H.R. 2224)

What is H.R. 2224?

(Updated September 12, 2018)

This bill would amend the Animal Welfare Act of 1966 to define who is legally allowed to sell animals to research facilities. Basically, where labs can buy their animals for testing.

As the law stands today, "Class B" random source dealers are allowed to sell animals — and don't have to prove that they bred the animals or obtained them legally.  

H.R. 2224 would ban the sale of random source dogs and cats to laboratories by Class B dealers. Instead, the bill would require that labs source their animals from "Class A" dealers who breed animals specifically for research. Labs would also be able to source animals from city pounds and individual people who can prove they bred and raised their animals. 

Argument in favor

Animal dealers are notorious for stealing animals, or sourcing them illegally — laboratories should not be allowed to support these dealers and their practices.

Argument opposed

This bill could raise the cost of valuable research. Not to mention that this specific animal sourcing problem should be regulated by individual states, not at the federal level.

Impact

"Class B" random source animal dealers, animals used for lab testing, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and research facilities.

Cost of H.R. 2224

The CBO does not have a cost estimate at this time.

Additional Info

In Depth:

From Sponsoring Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA):

"Class B dealers have routinely failed to meet basic Animal Welfare Act Standards and there is no sign they will ever improve. Reputable research institutes do not use Class B dealers because of the serious problems associated with them and their troubled past. Closing them down once and for all will give people greater confidence in our research programs and go a long way toward reducing animal cruelty."

A big motivation behind this bill is also to keep stray animals (that could be somebody's lost pet) from being sold to laboratories.

Media:

Sponsoring Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA) Press Release

The Humane Society (in support)

Animal Welfare Institute (in support)

The American Physiological Society (in opposition)

Countable Blog Entry

(Photo Credit: Wikipedia)