Pet Safety and Protection Act of 2023

To amend the Animal Welfare Act to ensure that all dogs and cats used by research facilities are obtained legally. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Pet Safety and Protection Act of 2023 2. Protection of pets (a) Research facilities Section 7 of the Animal Welfare Act ( 7 U.S.C. 2137 7. Sources of dogs and cats for research facilities (a) Definition of person In this section, the term person (b) Use of dogs and cats No research facility or Federal research facility may use a dog or cat for research or educational purposes if the dog or cat was obtained from a person other than a person described in subsection (d). (c) Selling, donating, or offering dogs and cats No person, other than a person described in subsection (d), may sell, donate, or offer a dog or cat to any research facility or Federal research facility. (d) Permissible sources A person from whom a research facility or a Federal research facility may obtain a dog or cat for research or educational purposes under subsection (b), and a person who may sell, donate, or offer a dog or cat to a research facility or a Federal research facility under subsection (c), shall be— (1) a dealer licensed under section 3 that has bred and raised the dog or cat; (2) a publicly owned and operated pound or shelter that— (A) is registered with the Secretary; (B) is in compliance with section 28(a)(1) and with the requirements for dealers in subsections (b) and (c) of section 28; and (C) obtained the dog or cat from its legal owner, other than a pound or shelter; (3) a person that is donating the dog or cat and that— (A) bred and raised the dog or cat; or (B) owned the dog or cat for not less than 1 year immediately preceding the donation; (4) a research facility licensed by the Secretary; and (5) a Federal research facility licensed by the Secretary. (e) Penalties (1) In general A person that violates this section shall be fined $1,000 for each violation. (2) Additional penalty A penalty under this subsection shall be in addition to any other applicable penalty. (f) No required sale or donation Nothing in this section requires a pound or shelter to sell, donate, or offer a dog or cat to a research facility or Federal research facility. . (b) Federal research facilities Section 8 of the Animal Welfare Act ( 7 U.S.C. 2138 (1) by striking Sec. 8. No department 8. Federal research facilities Except as provided in section 7, no department ; (2) by striking research or experimentation or (3) by striking such purposes that purpose (c) Certification Section 28(b)(1) of the Animal Welfare Act ( 7 U.S.C. 2158(b)(1) individual or entity research facility or Federal research facility 3. Effective date The amendments made by section 2 take effect on the date that is 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act.

Summary: Pet Safety and Protection Act of 2023 This bill revises requirements concerning the sources of dogs and cats used by research facilities. Specifically, the bill revises the list of permissible sources of dogs and cats used by research facilities to include dogs and cats obtained (1) from a licensed dealer, (2) from a publicly owned and operated pound or shelter that meets specified requirements, (3) by donation from a person who bred and raised the dog or cat or owned it for not less than one year, or (4) from a research facility licensed by the Department of Agriculture. The requirements pertaining to sources apply to dogs and cats obtained through sales, donations, or offers. Monetary penalties are established for violations.