I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5726 
To require research facilities that use companion dogs, cats, or rabbits for 
research purposes and receive funding from the National Institutes of 
Health to offer such animals for adoption after completion of such 
research, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 26, 2021 
Mr. CA´RDENAS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To require research facilities that use companion dogs, cats, 
or rabbits for research purposes and receive funding 
from the National Institutes of Health to offer such 
animals for adoption after completion of such research, 
and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Companion Animal Re-
lease from Experiments Act of 2021’’ or the ‘‘CARE Act 
of 2021’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:37 Oct 30, 2021
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5726.IH
H5726
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress the finds the following: 
(1) 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. 
(2) Section 495 of the Health Research Exten-
sion Act is the statutory basis for the public health 
service policy of the Federal Government with re-
spect to humane care and use of laboratory animals. 
(3) Currently, the public health service policy of 
the Surgeon General does not cover the post re-
search treatment of such animals. 
(4) Animals used in research include animals 
commonly kept as companion animals by the public. 
(5) 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. 
(6) Due to an absence of Federal requirements, 
12 States have enacted laws governing the post re-
search placement for dogs and cats used in publicly 
funded research institutions. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:37 Oct 30, 2021
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5726.IH
H5726
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
(7) 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, includ-
ing finding such animals a home and adopting trans-
parent policies concerning the success of such re-
quirement. 
SEC. 3. OFFERING DOGS, CATS, OR RABBITS USED IN RE-
SEARCH FACILITIES FOR ADOPTION. 
(a) ADOPTION GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH FACILI-
TIES.—Section 495(b)(3) of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 289d(b)(3)) is amended— 
(1) by striking the ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub-
paragraph (B); 
(2) by striking the period at the end of sub-
paragraph (C) and inserting a semicolon; and 
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(D) develop and implement policies for the 
adoption of dogs, cats, or rabbits no longer needed 
for biomedical and behavioral research, including— 
‘‘(i) developing and making publicly avail-
able on the website of such research entity a 
policy for offering for adoption a dog, cat, or 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:37 Oct 30, 2021
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5726.IH
H5726
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
rabbit no longer needed for biomedical and be-
havioral research; 
‘‘(ii) assessing the health of such dog, cat, 
or rabbit to determine whether such animal is 
suitable for adoption; and 
‘‘(iii) making reasonable efforts to offer for 
adoption any dog, cat, or rabbit deemed suit-
able for adoption, either through— 
‘‘(I) private placement; 
‘‘(II) an animal shelter; or 
‘‘(III) an animal adoption organiza-
tion; and 
‘‘(E) maintain records on dogs, cats, or 
rabbits used by the research entity and make 
such records publicly available on the website of 
such research entity, including records on— 
‘‘(i) the number of dogs, cats, or rab-
bits used for research; 
‘‘(ii) the number of dogs, cats, or rab-
bits placed for adoption through private 
placement, animal shelter, or through an 
animal adoption organization; and 
‘‘(iii) the number of dogs, cats, or 
rabbits destroyed.’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:37 Oct 30, 2021
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5726.IH
H5726
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS