What This Bill Does
This bill changes the Animal Welfare Act to require federal research facilities to adopt or place certain animals in non-laboratory homes after they are no longer needed for research. The bill, called Violet's Law, sets rules for which animals can be released and where they can go.
Who It Affects
Federal government departments, agencies and research facilities that use animals in laboratory research. Animal rescue organizations, animal sanctuaries and animal shelters that may receive these animals. Individual people who may adopt animals from federal research facilities.
Key Provisions
• Federal research facilities must create standards and requirements within one year to allow the adoption or non-laboratory placement of eligible animals no longer needed for research and determined suitable for release (Sec. 2(b))
• Eligible animals that can be placed are dogs, cats, nonhuman primates, guinea pigs, hamsters and rabbits (Sec. 2(c)(4))
• An animal is only suitable for release if a licensed veterinarian inspected it within ten days before release and certified it has no infectious disease or physical abnormality that would endanger other animals or public health (Sec. 2(c)(5))
• Animals can only be placed with animal rescue organizations, animal sanctuaries, animal shelters or individuals (Sec. 2(b))
KEY DEFINITIONS:
"Animal rescue organization" means a nonprofit organization that rescues unwanted or abandoned animals and finds them permanent homes (Sec. 2(c)(1))
"Animal sanctuary" means a nonprofit organization registered with the Secretary that provides lifetime care, does not breed animals, does not allow direct public contact and does not conduct research that causes pain or distress (Sec. 2(c)(2))
"Animal shelter" means a facility that accepts, seizes or cares for animals to find them permanent homes or for law enforcement purposes (Sec. 2(c)(3))
Effective Date
Federal research facilities must promulgate standards not later than one year after the date of enactment (Sec. 2(b))
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1465
To amend the Animal Welfare Act to allow for the adoption or non-laboratory
placement of certain animals used in Federal research, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 8, 2023
Ms. MACE (for herself, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. BROWNLEY,
Mr. CASTEN, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. CONNOLLY, Ms. DELBENE,
Ms. ESCOBAR, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. GOODEN of Texas, Mr. GRIJALVA,
Ms. HOULAHAN, Mr. KILMER, Mr. KIM of New Jersey, Mrs. KIM of Cali-
fornia, Mr. LIEU, Mr. MAST, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. NEGUSE, Ms. NOR-
TON, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. PAPPAS, Mr. PERRY, Mr. POCAN, Mr. POSEY,
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. SLOTKIN, Mr. STEUBE, Ms. STE-
VENS, Ms. TITUS, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. TRONE, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. WALTZ, Ms.
ADAMS, and Mr. BISHOP of Georgia) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
A BILL
To amend the Animal Welfare Act to allow for the adoption
or non-laboratory placement of certain animals used in
Federal research, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Violet’s Law’’.
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•HR 1465 IH
SEC. 2. PLACEMENT OF ANIMALS USED IN FEDERAL RE-
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SEARCH.
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Section 14 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C.
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2144) is amended to read as follows:
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‘‘SEC. 14. STANDARDS FOR FEDERAL FACILITIES.
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‘‘(a) LABORATORY ANIMAL FACILITIES.—Any de-
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partment, agency, or instrumentality of the United States
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having laboratory animal facilities shall comply with the
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standards and other requirements promulgated by the
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Secretary under sections 13(a), (f), (g), and (h).
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‘‘(b) ADOPTION
AND
NON-LABORATORY
PLACE-
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MENT.—Any department, agency, or instrumentality of
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the United States operating as a Federal research facility
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shall, not later than one year after the date of the enact-
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ment of this subsection, promulgate standards and other
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requirements that, in the determination of the depart-
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ment, agency, or instrumentality, facilitates the adoption
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or non-laboratory placement of any eligible animal of the
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facility no longer needed for research and determined to
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be suitable for release to an animal rescue organization,
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animal sanctuary, animal shelter, or individual.
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‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
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‘‘(1) ANIMAL
RESCUE
ORGANIZATION.—The
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term ‘animal rescue organization’ means an organi-
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zation—
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•HR 1465 IH
‘‘(A) described in section 501(c)(3) of the
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Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt
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from taxation under section 501(a) of such
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Code; and
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‘‘(B) with the purpose of rescuing animals
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that are unwanted, abandoned, or otherwise in
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need of placement and finding permanent adop-
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tive homes for such animals.
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‘‘(2) ANIMAL SANCTUARY.—The term ‘animal
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sanctuary’ means an organization described in sec-
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tion 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
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and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of
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such Code that—
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‘‘(A) is registered with the Secretary;
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‘‘(B) operates a place of refuge—
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‘‘(i) where an unwanted, displaced, or
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retired animal is provided care for the life-
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time of such animal; and
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‘‘(ii) where an unescorted public visi-
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tation of such an animal is not permitted;
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‘‘(C) does not engage in commercial trade
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of such an animal;
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‘‘(D) does not breed such an animal;
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‘‘(E) does not permit direct contact be-
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tween the public and such an animal;
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•HR 1465 IH
‘‘(F) does not allow the use of such an ani-
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mal for performance or exhibition purposes; and
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‘‘(G) does not conduct research that pains
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or distresses such an animal.
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‘‘(3) ANIMAL
SHELTER.—The term ‘animal
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shelter’ means a facility that accepts or seizes ani-
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mals to care for such animals, place such animals in
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a permanent adoptive home, or carry out law en-
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forcement purposes.
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‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE
ANIMAL.—The term ‘eligible
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animal’ means any dog, cat, nonhuman primate,
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guinea pig, hamster, or rabbit.
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‘‘(5) SUITABLE FOR RELEASE.—The term ‘suit-
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able for release’ means an eligible animal that has
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been evaluated and has received a certificate issued
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by a veterinarian licensed to practice veterinary
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medicine, certifying that they inspected the eligible
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animal on a specified date that is not more than ten
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days before such animal is released, and when so in-
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spected, the eligible animal appeared free of any in-
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fectious disease or physical abnormality which would
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endanger the eligible animal, other animals, or pub-
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lic health.’’.
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Æ
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