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Requires federal research facilities to follow the Secretary’s animal‑care standards and to adopt formal rules, within one year, that promote adoption or other non‑laboratory placement for research animals no longer needed. Defines terms (eligible animal, suitable for release, animal rescue organization, animal sanctuary, animal shelter) and requires a veterinarian’s certificate within 10 days before an animal is considered suitable for release.
Amends Section 14 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2144) to replace that section with the new text shown in this section.
Any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States that has laboratory animal facilities must comply with the standards and other requirements promulgated by the Secretary under sections 13(a), 13(f), 13(g), and 13(h).
Any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States that operates as a Federal research facility must, not later than one year after the date of enactment of this subsection, promulgate standards and other requirements to facilitate adoption or non-laboratory placement of any eligible animal no longer needed for research and determined suitable for release to an animal rescue organization, animal sanctuary, animal shelter, or individual.
"Animal rescue organization": an organization described in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of that Code (for example, 501(c)(3)) whose purpose is rescuing unwanted, abandoned, or otherwise needy animals and finding permanent adoptive homes for them.
"Animal sanctuary": an organization described in the Internal Revenue Code and exempt under section 501(a) that is registered with the Secretary; operates a place of refuge that provides lifetime care for unwanted, displaced, or retired animals and does not permit unescorted public visitation of such an animal; does not engage in commercial trade of the animal; does not breed the animal; does not permit direct public contact with the animal; does not allow the animal’s use for performance or exhibition; and does not conduct research that pains or distresses the animal.
Who is affected and how:
Animals used in research: The primary beneficiaries are research animals determined to be "eligible" and "suitable for release," who gain expanded pathways to adoption, sanctuaries, or shelters instead of prolonged laboratory housing or routine disposition.
Federal agencies with laboratory animal facilities: Agencies must review and, if necessary, revise animal‑care operations to meet the Secretary’s standards and adopt formal placement policies within one year. That will require administrative work—policy drafting, interoffice coordination, and compliance steps—and likely added operational procedures for transfer vetting and recordkeeping.
Facility veterinarians and animal‑care staff: Veterinarians must evaluate and certify animals' suitability for release within 10 days prior to transfer; animal‑care staff will carry out medical checks, paperwork, and coordination with placement partners.
Animal rescue organizations, sanctuaries, and shelters: These organizations may receive increased opportunities and responsibilities to accept former research animals and must meet whatever acceptance criteria federal facilities adopt; they may also need to coordinate intake, quarantine, and medical follow‑up.
Research programs and investigators: Programs that previously relied on retaining animals or euthanasia as default disposition may need to adjust protocols, timelines, and budgets to support placement processes and veterinary clearances.
Operational and fiscal effects:
Administrative burden: Agencies must complete rulemaking or internal policy development within one year, establish intake/transfer workflows, and ensure compliance with the Secretary’s standards.
Resource needs: Facilities may need to allocate veterinarian time, medical testing, transport logistics, paperwork, and potential post‑transfer monitoring arrangements; no dedicated funding is specified, so agencies may absorb costs from existing budgets.
Legal/ethical clarity: Standardized definitions and a mandated vet‑certification window clarify eligibility and suitability criteria, reducing ambiguity across federal facilities and facilitating partnerships with external placement organizations.
Programmatic effects: Increased placements may require stronger partnerships with accredited sanctuaries/rescues and could raise demand for those organizations’ capacity and funding.
Overall, the change redirects some disposition activity toward placement and adoption while imposing defined administrative duties on federal research facilities; the absence of explicit new funding may mean agencies reallocate existing resources to comply.
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Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced May 7, 2025 by Nancy Mace · Last progress May 7, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced in House