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 Cali-
fornia, Mr. LIEU, Mr. MAST, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. NEGUSE, Ms. NOR-
TON, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. PAPPAS, Mr. PERRY, Mr. POCAN, Mr. POSEY, 
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. SLOTKIN, Mr. STEUBE, Ms. STE-
VENS, 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. 
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 ‘‘Violet’s Law’’. 
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SEC. 2. PLACEMENT OF ANIMALS USED IN FEDERAL RE-
SEARCH. 
Section 14 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 
2144) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 14. STANDARDS FOR FEDERAL FACILITIES. 
‘‘(a) LABORATORY ANIMAL FACILITIES.—Any de-
partment, agency, or instrumentality of the United States 
having laboratory animal facilities shall comply with the 
standards and other requirements promulgated by the 
Secretary under sections 13(a), (f), (g), and (h). 
‘‘(b) ADOPTION
AND
NON-LABORATORY
PLACE-
MENT.—Any department, agency, or instrumentality of 
the United States operating as a Federal research facility 
shall, not later than one year after the date of the enact-
ment of this subsection, promulgate standards and other 
requirements that, in the determination of the depart-
ment, agency, or instrumentality, facilitates the adoption 
or non-laboratory placement of any eligible animal of the 
facility no longer needed for research and determined to 
be suitable for release to an animal rescue organization, 
animal sanctuary, animal shelter, or individual. 
‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) ANIMAL
RESCUE
ORGANIZATION.—The 
term ‘animal rescue organization’ means an organi-
zation— 
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‘‘(A) described in section 501(c)(3) of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt 
from taxation under section 501(a) of such 
Code; and 
‘‘(B) with the purpose of rescuing animals 
that are unwanted, abandoned, or otherwise in 
need of placement and finding permanent adop-
tive homes for such animals. 
‘‘(2) ANIMAL SANCTUARY.—The term ‘animal 
sanctuary’ means an organization described in sec-
tion 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of 
such Code that— 
‘‘(A) is registered with the Secretary; 
‘‘(B) operates a place of refuge— 
‘‘(i) where an unwanted, displaced, or 
retired animal is provided care for the life-
time of such animal; and 
‘‘(ii) where an unescorted public visi-
tation of such an animal is not permitted; 
‘‘(C) does not engage in commercial trade 
of such an animal; 
‘‘(D) does not breed such an animal; 
‘‘(E) does not permit direct contact be-
tween the public and such an animal; 
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‘‘(F) does not allow the use of such an ani-
mal for performance or exhibition purposes; and 
‘‘(G) does not conduct research that pains 
or distresses such an animal. 
‘‘(3) ANIMAL
SHELTER.—The term ‘animal 
shelter’ means a facility that accepts or seizes ani-
mals to care for such animals, place such animals in 
a permanent adoptive home, or carry out law en-
forcement purposes. 
‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE
ANIMAL.—The term ‘eligible 
animal’ means any dog, cat, nonhuman primate, 
guinea pig, hamster, or rabbit. 
‘‘(5) SUITABLE FOR RELEASE.—The term ‘suit-
able for release’ means an eligible animal that has 
been evaluated and has received a certificate issued 
by a veterinarian licensed to practice veterinary 
medicine, certifying that they inspected the eligible 
animal on a specified date that is not more than ten 
days before such animal is released, and when so in-
spected, the eligible animal appeared free of any in-
fectious disease or physical abnormality which would 
endanger the eligible animal, other animals, or pub-
lic health.’’. 
Æ 
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