I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9072 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to ensure that healthy research 
common companion animals are adopted into suitable homes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 
Miss RICE of New York (for herself, Mr. KATKO, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. 
SWALWELL, Ms. NORTON, Ms. DEAN, Mr. GAETZ, Mr. NADLER, Mr. 
CORREA, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. 
CICILLINE, Mr. CROW, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. KILMER, Mr. CASTEN, 
and Mr. LIEU) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to ensure that 
healthy research common companion animals are adopted 
into suitable homes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Humane Retirement 
Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF ADOPTION POLICY FOR PUB-
LIC HEALTH SERVICE AGENCIES WITH RE-
SPECT TO RETIRED COMMON COMPANION 
ANIMALS. 
Section 495 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 289d) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(f)(1) Beginning one year after the date of the en-
actment of this subsection, guidelines of the Secretary 
under subsection (a)(3) shall require animal care commit-
tees described in such subsection that conduct biomedical 
and behavioral research at Public Health Service funded 
Federal agencies to, after the completion of any testing 
or research involving a common companion animal and 
prior to euthanizing such common companion animal, 
make a reasonable effort to offer such common companion 
animal for adoption, if suitable, in accordance with the 
following: 
‘‘(A) Such an animal care committee shall, 
after the completion of such testing or research in-
volving a common companion animal and prior to 
euthanizing such common companion animal, assess 
the health and temperament of the common com-
panion animal and determine whether it is suitable 
for adoption. 
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‘‘(B) If found to be suitable for adoption, such 
an animal care committee shall make reasonable ef-
forts to offer for adoption the common companion 
animal to an adopting party. 
‘‘(C) An animal care committee shall ensure 
that any adopting party described in any of clauses 
(ii) through (vi) of paragraph (6)(A) provides a writ-
ten assurance that the common companion animal 
will be placed in a home and not with a breeder, ex-
hibitor, or research facility. 
‘‘(2) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed 
as— 
‘‘(A) creating a duty upon an adopting party to 
accept a common companion animal offered by an 
animal care committee described in paragraph (1); 
or 
‘‘(B) 
prohibiting 
such 
committee 
from 
euthanizing a common companion animal if the re-
quirements of this subsection are otherwise met. 
‘‘(3) An animal care committee described in para-
graph (1) and any officer, director, employee, or agent of 
such committee are immune from civil liability for any act 
or omission relating to the adoption of a common com-
panion animal pursuant to this subsection. 
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‘‘(4) Beginning not later than 1 year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, and each year thereafter, 
an animal care committee described in paragraph (1) shall 
submit to the Secretary a report on adoptions that oc-
curred as a result of the requirement specified in such 
paragraph. Each such report shall include the following: 
‘‘(A) The number and species of common com-
panion animals eligible for adoption at the research 
entity for which the animal care committee was es-
tablished. 
‘‘(B) The number of common companion ani-
mals adopted. 
‘‘(C) The types of adopting parties that adopted 
such animals, disaggregated according to the cat-
egories of adopting parties listed in paragraph 
(6)(A). 
‘‘(5) An animal care committee described in para-
graph (1), may, in offering a common companion animal 
for adoption pursuant to paragraph (1), charge the adopt-
ing party a fee for that adoption (including for any serv-
ices necessary to prepare the common companion animal 
for that adoption). 
‘‘(6) For purposes of this subsection: 
‘‘(A) The term ‘adopting party’ means— 
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‘‘(i) an individual adopting a common com-
panion animal through private placement; 
‘‘(ii) a bona fide animal rescue organization; 
‘‘(iii) a bona fide animal shelter organization; 
‘‘(iv) a bona fide society for the prevention of 
cruelty to animals; 
‘‘(v) a bona fide humane society; or 
‘‘(vi) a bona fide animal protective association 
that operates physical animal sheltering facilities 
and offers households pets to the public for adoption 
by way of an established adoption program. 
‘‘(B) The term ‘common companion animal’ means 
a dog, cat, rabbit, or guinea pig.’’. 
Æ 
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