CATS Act of 2020

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 8867 To amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from conducting medical research causing significant pain or distress to cats. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DECEMBER 3, 2020 Ms. TITUS (for herself, Mr. MAST, Mr. GAETZ, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. TED LIEU of California, Mr. COHEN, Ms. SHALALA, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. HARDER of California, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. NORTON, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. NADLER, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. LEVIN of Michigan, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. ESHOO, and Mr. HURD of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs A BILL To amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the Sec- retary of Veterans Affairs from conducting medical re- search causing significant pain or distress to cats. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cat Abuse in Testing 4 Stops Act of 2020’’ or the ‘‘CATS Act of 2020’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:22 Dec 15, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8867.IH H8867 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 8867 IH SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF- 1 FAIRS MEDICAL RESEARCH CAUSING SIG- 2 NIFICANT PAIN OR DISTRESS TO CATS. 3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 7303 of title 38, United 4 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol- 5 lowing new subsection: 6 ‘‘(e)(1) In carrying out research, the Secretary may 7 not purchase, breed, transport, house, feed, maintain, dis- 8 pose of, or experiment on cats as part of the conduct of 9 any study that causes significant pain or distress. 10 ‘‘(2) In this subsection, the term ‘study that causes 11 significant pain or distress’ includes any study classified 12 to pain category D or E by the Department of Agriculture 13 (or such successor categories developed pursuant to sec- 14 tion 13 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2143)).’’. 15 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 16 subsection (a) shall take effect 90 days after the date of 17 enactment of this Act. 18 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:16 Dec 18, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H8867.IH H8867 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS