HARRISBURG – The Beagle Bill, legislation championed by Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-33) and Sen. Carolyn Comitta (D-19) to protect dogs and cats from painful, taxpayer-funded experiments, has been approved by the General Assembly and is now almost law.
“The Beagle Bill will protect animals, respect Pennsylvania taxpayers and keep our government transparent. I would like to thank my colleagues for their support on this critical legislation, especially Sen. Comitta, who worked alongside me and helped this bill come to fruition,” said Mastriano.
The protections in Senate Bill 381 include:
- Making Pennsylvania the 18th state to grant dogs and cats an opportunity to be adopted into a loving home after experiments are over. This provision will apply to all research facilities in the state.
- Prohibiting the sale of cosmetics that have been newly tested on animals. This language aligns Pennsylvania with 12 other states and 45 countries that have already passed laws to end cruel and unnecessary animal testing for cosmetic products and ingredients.
- Requiring animal testing facilities to publish a link to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal Care public search tool in a conspicuous spot on their website. This tool allows the public to look up any research facilities’ annual reports, inspection reports and enforcement actions taken by USDA.
- Preventing the expenditure of commonwealth funds for dog or cat experiments unless the facilities are complying with federal research oversight provisions including ensuring the research protocol was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and conducted under the oversight of an attending veterinarian.
- Allowing the state attorney general to initiate civil action for any violations of the bill.
Senate Bill 381 now heads to the governor’s desk for his signature, the final step before it becomes law.