PAAW Act

Bill: 118-hr-7958
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Mace, Nancy [R-SC-1]
Introduced: 2024-04-11
Policy area: Animals
Latest action: action_date: 2024-04-12
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Summaries:

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7958 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 11, 2024 Ms. Mace (for herself, Mr. Moskowitz , Mr. Nehls , Ms. Kaptur , Ms. Malliotakis , Ms. Titus , Mr. Carter of Georgia , Ms. Norton , and Mr. Steube ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To amend the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Director of the National Institutes of Health from conducting or funding research that causes significant pain or distress to a dog or cat, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Preventing Animal Abuse and Waste Act or the PAAW Act . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) The National Institutes of Health (in this section referred to as NIH ) spends taxpayer dollars to conduct and fund research that causes pain and distress to dogs and cats. (2) The NIH states that animal models often fail to provide good ways to mimic disease or predict how drugs will work in humans, resulting in much wasted time and money while patients wait for therapies . (3) The NIH often conducts and funds tests on dogs to assess the safety of experimental human drugs even though the Food and Drug Administration has stated, The FDA does not mandate that human drugs be studied in dogs. . (4) The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has repeatedly found research on dogs, cats, and other animals that is conducted and funded by the NIH and other agencies to be unnecessary. (5) Alternative research methodologies and other species can replace the use of dogs and cats in NIH-conducted and funded research. (6) Federal agencies including the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Food and Drug Administration have launched initiatives to reduce and replace testing on dogs and cats, specifically. (7) Existing reporting mechanisms do not provide adequate information to Congress and taxpayers about the scale, scope, and cost of dog and cat use in NIH-conducted and funded research. 3. Prohibition on research causing significant pain or distress to dogs and cats (a) In general Subpart 6 of part C of title IV of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 285f et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following: 447E. Prohibition on research causing significant pain or distress to dogs and cats (a) In general The Director of NIH may not conduct or support any research that causes significant pain or distress to a dog or cat. (b) Definition In this section, the term research that causes significant pain or distress includes any study classified in pain category D or E by the Department of Agriculture. . (b) Applicability The amendment made by subsection (a) applies beginning on the date that is 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act. 4. Reporting (a) NIH report on research causing pain or distress to dogs and cats (1) In general Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Director of the NIH shall publish on the NIH website, and submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, a report on the use of dogs and cats in NIH-conducted and funded biomedical research. (2) Contents of report Each report under paragraph (1) shall include, for the period covered by the report— (A) a list of all ongoing or prospective research projects that cause significant pain or distress to a dog or cat and are conducted or funded by the NIH; (B) for each project— (i) the project title; (ii) the grant or contract number; (iii) the research abstract; (iv) the research location; (v) the cost to taxpayers during the previous fiscal year and since inception; (vi) the number of dogs or cats used; (vii) the projected start and end dates; (viii) the Department of Agriculture pain and distress category; and (ix) the amount of funds obligated or estimated to be obligated for each such project; (C) an explanation of— (i) efforts to phase out the use of dogs and cats in research that is conducted or funded by the NIH; and (ii) any barriers to such phase out; and (D) the number of dogs and cats retired and adopted from research conducted or funded by the NIH. (b) GAO study on NIH dog and cat research and efforts To reduce use of dogs and cats in testing Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit a report to the Congress that— (1) reviews and summarizes the use of dogs and cats in research that is conducted or funded by the NIH; (2) identifies NIH policies and initiatives aimed at reducing and replacing the specific use of dogs and cats in research that causes significant pain or distress and is conducted or funded by the NIH; (3) assesses the effectiveness of any NIH policies and initiatives aimed at reducing and replacing the use of dogs and cats in NIH-conducted and funded research; (4) compares NIH efforts to reduce and replace dog and cat testing to similar efforts at other Federal agencies; (5) identifies areas where the NIH can improve— (A) efforts to reduce and replace the use of dogs and cats in research that is conducted or funded by the NIH; and (B) public reporting on progress made; (6) assesses the effectiveness of any NIH policies and initiatives aimed at retiring and re-homing dogs and cats no longer needed in research conducted or funded by the NIH; (7) makes recommendations for improving— (A) the effectiveness of efforts to reduce and replace the use of dogs and cats in research conducted or funded by the NIH; and (B) public reporting on progress made; and (8) includes any other matter the Comptroller General of the United States determines important to assessing and improving NIH’s efforts to reduce and replace the use of dogs and cats in federally funded research that causes significant pain or distress. (c) Definition In this section: (1) The term NIH means the National Institutes of Health. (2) The term research that causes significant pain or distress includes any study classified in pain category D or E by the Department of Agriculture.