HR 3907 IHCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To amend the Animal Welfare Act to ensure that all dogs and cats used by research facilities are obtained legally.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

October 22, 2009CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Mr. DOYLE (for himself, Mr. SHERMAN, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mrs. LOWEY, Ms. BERKLEY, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. SHULER, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. MCCOTTER, Mr. BARTLETT, Mr. LATOURETTE, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. OLVER, Mrs. CAPPS, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. CASTLE, Ms. TSONGAS, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mr. ROTHMAN of New Jersey, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. NADLER of New York, Mr. BROWN of South Carolina, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. GALLEGLY, and Mr. YOUNG of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on AgricultureCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To amend the Animal Welfare Act to ensure that all dogs and cats used by research facilities are obtained legally.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘Pet Safety and Protection Act of 2009’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 2. PROTECTION OF PETS.

(a) Research Facilities- Section 7 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2137) is amended to read as follows:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

‘SEC. 7. SOURCES OF DOGS AND CATS FOR RESEARCH FACILITIES.

‘(a) Definition of Person- In this section, the term ‘person’ means any individual, partnership, firm, joint stock company, corporation, association, trust, estate, pound, shelter, or other legal entity.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(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).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(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.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(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--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) a dealer licensed under section 3 that has bred and raised the dog or cat;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) a publicly owned and operated pound or shelter that--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) is registered with the Secretary;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) is in compliance with section 28(a)(1) and with the requirements for dealers in subsections (b) and (c) of section 28; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(C) obtained the dog or cat from its legal owner, other than a pound or shelter;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(3) a person that is donating the dog or cat and that--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) bred and raised the dog or cat; orCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) owned the dog or cat for not less than 1 year immediately preceding the donation;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(4) a research facility licensed by the Secretary; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(5) a Federal research facility licensed by the Secretary.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(e) Penalties-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) IN GENERAL- A person that violates this section shall be fined $1,000 for each violation.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) ADDITIONAL PENALTY- A penalty under this subsection shall be in addition to any other applicable penalty.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(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.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Federal Research Facilities- Section 8 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2138) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) by striking ‘Sec. 8. No department’ and inserting the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

‘SEC. 8. FEDERAL RESEARCH FACILITIES.

‘Except as provided in section 7, no department’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) by striking ‘research or experimentation or’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) by striking ‘such purposes’ and inserting ‘that purpose’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(c) Certification- Section 28(b)(1) of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2158(b)(1)) is amended by striking ‘individual or entity’ and inserting ‘research facility or Federal research facility’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 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.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink