[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 138 (Saturday, October 28, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1967-E1968]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    ICCVAM AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2000

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 17, 2000

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 
4281, the ICCVAM (Interagency Coordinating Committee for the Validation 
of Alternative Methods) Authorization Act. This commonsense piece of 
legislation has received overwhelming support from all interested 
parties, including endorsements from 72 bipartisan cosponsors, the 
animal rights community, a coalition of chemical and product 
manufacturers, and the administration.
  ICCVAM was established by the director of the National Institute of 
Environmental Health Sciences in 1994 and is still in operation today. 
Thus, the bill does not create a new Federal bureaucracy. Rather, it 
improves upon an existing interagency committee and streamlines the 
regulatory process without eliminating discretion by any Federal 
agency. H.R. 4281 simply gives ICCVAM statutory authority to continue 
establishing guidelines and recommendations that promote the regulatory 
acceptance of scientifically valid, new, revised or alternative test 
methods, thereby eliminating duplicative, time-consuming and costly 
test

[[Page E1968]]

method validation at several other government agencies. In addition, 
because ICCVAM already exists, passage of H.R. 4281 will not require 
any additional budget expenditures.
  In conclusion, I would like to say that H.R. 4281 provides a win-win 
situation for all groups and individuals involved with toxicology 
testing. For chemical and product manufacturers, who are required to 
test their products for safety before bringing them to the market, the 
bill offers them a centralized body to ensure that new test methods are 
scientifically valid and acceptable for regulatory use before they 
spend large sums of money on conducting the tests for government 
approval. For animal protection organizations, this legislation 
promotes an improved forum in which alternatives to animal testing can 
be scientifically validated for regulatory use. From a broader 
standpoint, the tests approved by ICCVAM will provide Federal agencies 
with adequate data to protect human and environmental health and 
safety, a development which benefits all Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask all my colleagues in the House of Representatives 
to join me in supporting H.R. 4281. Let us ensure that ICCVAM continues 
its important work on behalf of the Federal Government, animal rights 
activists, and regulated industries across the United States.

                          ____________________