Sec. 2. Findings
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Congress the finds the following: The use of animals in research has been an issue of public concern since the mid-20th century, because animals used in research will, in most cases, experience fear, pain, confinement, and premature death. Section 495 of the Health Research Extension Act is the statutory basis for the public health service policy of the Federal Government with respect to humane care and use of laboratory animals. Currently, the public health service policy of the Surgeon General does not cover the post research treatment of such animals.
Animals used in research include animals commonly kept as companion animals by the public. More than 64,000 dogs, 18,000 cats, and 145,000 rabbits are used in experiments in the United States each year and much of the research is conducted at facilities that receive public funding through the National Institutes of Health. Due to an absence of Federal requirements, 15 States have enacted laws governing the post research placement for dogs and cats used in publicly funded research institutions.
A national requirement is needed to ensure that research institutions that receive tax payer funding establish adoption policies for companion animals that are no longer used for research, including finding such animals a home and adopting transparent policies concerning the success of such requirement.