|  AROOO-ROOO-ROOO-ROOO!
(That’s Beaglese for ACTION ALERT):
Proud
as we are of our part in helping to shut down Ridglan Farms, we at WPMP
know that our work is far from done. As long as there is a demand for
animal test subjects, there will be someone supplying the animals to
laboratories to run those tests.
The
2025/2026 session of the US Congress is winding down, but there are still many
animal weifare-related bills in play. This page lists the bills we are
watching, with links to the bill histories on Congress.gov for more
information, including complete bill texts, bill summaries, cosponsors, action
taken, etc. Some of these, we strongly support. Some -- not so much. and we'll
tell you why. (Our thanks to Tami Drake of Animal Wellness Action/Center for a
Humane Economy for her help with this!)
TIME IS
SHORT AND YOUR VOICE MATTERS! You can sign up for emailed
updates on each bill status through the Congress.gov individual bill history
pages, where you will also find a link to contact your representatives, if you
so choose. If you do -- please remember to be polite and respectful. Remember
the old adage, "You can catch more flies with honey than with
vinegar."
STRONGLY SUPPORT: H.R.10522 - Companion Animal Protection Against Cruel Testing
Act (COMPACT Act): To prohibit the obligation or expenditure of Department
of Health and Human Services funds for the use of live dogs and live cats in
biomedical research, to strengthen accountability for Federal research
expenditures, and for other purposes.
 H.R.10522 - COMPACT Act
STRONGLY SUPPORT: H.R.1085 - Cease Animal Research Grants Overseas Act of 2025 or
the CARGO Act of 2025: To amend the Public Health Service Act to prohibit
the National Institutes of Health from awarding any support for an activity or
program that uses live animals in research unless the research occurs in the
United States, and for other purposes. NOTE:
We strongly support
ending NIH funding for animal experiments conducted overseas. Federal research
dollars should not be used to outsource animal experimentation to
foreign laboratories, where oversight and accountability can be especially
challenging.
H.R.1085 - CARGO Act of 2025
DO
NOT SUPPORT:
H.R.7165 - WATCH Act: To amend section 495 of the Public
Health Service Act to require inspections of foreign laboratories conducting
biomedical and behavioral research to ensure compliance with applicable animal
welfare requirements, and for other purposes. NOTE:
Again, the devil is in the details. H.R.7165's self-policing
approach to animal welfare compliance is problemetical at best. Requiring
oversight and reporting is not the same as providing meaningful, independent
enforcement. Without credible accountability mechanisms, we risk creating the
appearance of stronger protections without actually delivering them. Better
just to END NIH funding for experimentation in foreign laboratories completely
(See H.R. 1085, the CARGO Act, directly above.)
H.R.7165 - WATCH Act
STRONGLY SUPPORT:
H.R.8471 - PRIMATE Act: To amend the Tariff Act of 1930 to
prohibit the importation on nonhuman primates.
H.R.8471 - PRIMATE Act
DO
NOT SUPPORT: : H.R.1291, Humane and Existing Alternatives in Research and
Testing Sciences Act of 2025 or the HEARTS Act of 2025: To amend the Public
Health Service Act to ensure that nonanimal methods are prioritized, where
applicable and feasible, in proposals for all research to be conducted or
supported by the National Institutes of Health, to provide for the
establishment of the National Center for Alternatives to Animals in Research
and Testing, and for other purposes. NOTE:
The NIH is already implementing many of the initiatives
contemplated by this bill, including prioritizing human-relevant, nonanimal
research methods and expanding support for their development. Creating
additional statutory structures may duplicate work already underway rather than
accelerate progress.
H.R.1291,the HEARTS Act of 2025
DO
NOT SUPPORT: : H.R. 2821/S, 355, FDA Modernization Act 3.0: To require
the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Commissioner of
Food and Drugs, to publish a final rule relating to nonclinical testing
methods. NOTE: Since FDA is
currently implementing this administratively, we're now concentrating on that
implementation rather than continuing to push legislation whose principal
objectives are already being addressed.
H.R. 2821/S, 355, FDA Modernization Act
3.0
DO
NOT SUPPORT:
H.R.10532 - Beagle Liberation Act of 2026: To require the
humane transfer of certain retired research dogs and cats, and for other
purposes. NOTE: Not all
laboratory animal adoption bills accomplish the same thing. As we learned with
Wisconsin's Beagle Freedom Bill in the recently concluded session of the WI
State Legislature, though adoption of retired research animals is something we
all support, the devil is in the details. We need enforceable protections with
bite, which H.R. 10532 lacks. In contrast,
H.R. 3246, Violet's Law, offers a broader approach to
adoption and retirement, covering additional species beyond dogs and cats. The
core provisions have already been included in the House-passed Farm Bill.
H.R.10532 - Beagle Liberation Act of
2026
FYI:
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