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 California, Mr. LIEU, Mr. MAST, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. NEGUSE, Ms. NORTON, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. PAPPAS, Mr. PERRY, Mr. POCAN, Mr. POSEY, 

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. SLOTKIN, Mr. STEUBE, Ms. STEVENS, 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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Violet’s Law’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PLACEMENT OF ANIMALS USED IN FEDERAL RE2 SEARCH. 

3 Section 14 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 

4 2144) is amended to read as follows: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 14. STANDARDS FOR FEDERAL FACILITIES. 

6 ‘‘(a) LABORATORY ANIMAL FACILITIES.—Any de7 partment, agency, or instrumentality of the United States 

8 having laboratory animal facilities shall comply with the 

9 standards and other requirements promulgated by the 

10 Secretary under sections 13(a), (f), (g), and (h). 

11 ‘‘(b) ADOPTION AND NON-LABORATORY PLACE12 MENT.—Any department, agency, or instrumentality of 

13 the United States operating as a Federal research facility 

14 shall, not later than one year after the date of the enact15 ment of this subsection, promulgate standards and other 

16 requirements that, in the determination of the depart17 ment, agency, or instrumentality, facilitates the adoption 

18 or non-laboratory placement of any eligible animal of the 

19 facility no longer needed for research and determined to 

20 be suitable for release to an animal rescue organization, 

21 animal sanctuary, animal shelter, or individual. 

22 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

23 ‘‘(1) ANIMAL RESCUE ORGANIZATION.—The 

24 term ‘animal rescue organization’ means an organi25 zation— 


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1 ‘‘(A) described in section 501(c)(3) of the 

2 Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt 

3 from taxation under section 501(a) of such 

4 Code; and 

5 ‘‘(B) with the purpose of rescuing animals 

6 that are unwanted, abandoned, or otherwise in 

7 need of placement and finding permanent adop8 tive homes for such animals. 

9 ‘‘(2) ANIMAL SANCTUARY.—The term ‘animal 

10 sanctuary’ means an organization described in sec11 tion 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 

12 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of 

13 such Code that— 

14 ‘‘(A) is registered with the Secretary; 

15 ‘‘(B) operates a place of refuge— 

16 ‘‘(i) where an unwanted, displaced, or 

17 retired animal is provided care for the life18 time of such animal; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) where an unescorted public visi20 tation of such an animal is not permitted; 

21 ‘‘(C) does not engage in commercial trade 

22 of such an animal; 

23 ‘‘(D) does not breed such an animal; 

24 ‘‘(E) does not permit direct contact be25 tween the public and such an animal; 


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1 ‘‘(F) does not allow the use of such an ani2 mal for performance or exhibition purposes; and 

3 ‘‘(G) does not conduct research that pains 

4 or distresses such an animal. 

5 ‘‘(3) ANIMAL SHELTER.—The term ‘animal 

6 shelter’ means a facility that accepts or seizes ani7 mals to care for such animals, place such animals in 

8 a permanent adoptive home, or carry out law en9 forcement purposes. 

10 ‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE ANIMAL.—The term ‘eligible 

11 animal’ means any dog, cat, nonhuman primate, 

12 guinea pig, hamster, or rabbit. 

13 ‘‘(5) SUITABLE FOR RELEASE.—The term ‘suit14 able for release’ means an eligible animal that has 

15 been evaluated and has received a certificate issued 

16 by a veterinarian licensed to practice veterinary 

17 medicine, certifying that they inspected the eligible 

18 animal on a specified date that is not more than ten 

19 days before such animal is released, and when so in20 spected, the eligible animal appeared free of any in21 fectious disease or physical abnormality which would 

22 endanger the eligible animal, other animals, or pub23 lic health.’’. 

Æ 


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