Sponsors (3)
The bill accelerates a federal shift away from animal testing—funding non‑animal methods, increasing transparency, and improving animal welfare—while imposing near‑term costs, new compliance risks, and potential delays or gaps for research areas that still depend on animal models.
Researchers and patients: Federal investment and validation of human-relevant methods (human-cell models, AI, organ-on-chip) should improve the reliability and translational value of biomedical research, leading to better drug and treatment predictions.
Taxpayers and the federal budget: Shifting federal research away from inefficient animal models could reduce long-term research waste and save money across federally funded programs.
Scientists, contractors, and the research workforce: A Federal Research Modernization Fund plus required training and transition support will accelerate development and adoption of non‑animal methods and help workers and contractors acquire needed skills.
Patients and researchers: Banning most federally funded animal testing after three years risks halting or delaying biomedical and drug‑testing projects and could slow the development of some medical advances.
Contractors, small research entities, and nonprofits: New compliance requirements, civil fines (up to $250,000), and possible debarment raise substantial financial and operational risk for organizations doing federally funded research.
Time-sensitive infectious disease and national security research: Requiring a joint congressional resolution for each exception creates political delays and uncertainty for research that needs rapid approval or secrecy.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Phases out most federally funded animal research, creates penalties and a modernization fund, and requires congressional pre-approval for narrow infectious-disease or national-security uses.
Prohibits most federally funded research, testing, and experimentation that uses live animals, with phased delays for certain types of work and several narrow exceptions. It creates civil penalties and administrative sanctions for violators, requires a congressional pre-approval process for narrowly defined national security or infectious-disease uses, and establishes programs and a Federal Research Modernization Fund to promote non-animal alternatives and the release/placement of animals previously used in now-prohibited research. The ban phases in over time (18 months for cosmetic/toxicity/behavioral research; three years for biomedical and drug testing), excludes clinical veterinary activities and military/service-animal work, and conditions any continued animal research on a one-year joint resolution of Congressional approval after agency application and findings.
Official title: To prohibit the use of animals in federally funded research, promote the adoption of humane and scientifically advanced alternatives, and ensure the ethical rehoming of retired research animals, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 3, 2025 by Nicole Malliotakis · Last progress March 3, 2025