[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 129 (Tuesday, July 30, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S5199]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Mr. Peters, Ms. McSally, and Mrs. 
        Shaheen):
  S. 2322. A bill to amend the Animal Welfare Act to allow for the 
retirement of certain animals used in Federal research; to the 
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleague from 
Michigan, Senator Peters, in introducing the Animal Freedom from 
Testing, Experiments, and Research Act, known as the AFTER Act, to 
promote the adoption or retirement of animals used for research at 
Federal agencies. I would also like to thank Senators Shaheen and 
McSally who are original cosponsors of this legislation.
  In fiscal year 2018, the Federal government experimented on 
approximately 50,000 animals for research purposes. The experiments 
occurred across twelve different Federal agencies and the animals used 
were mainly cats, dogs, monkeys, and rabbits. While tracking these 
animals following experimentation is challenging, once animals are no 
longer needed for research, they are often killed, since many agencies 
lack formal retirement or adoption policies. With that said, recent 
studies indicate that research animals who are adopted often thrive in 
their new environments.
  In 2013, led by Senators Harkin, Alexander, Cantwell and myself, the 
Senate passed the CHIMP Act, which allowed for the retirement of 
hundreds of primates that were formerly being used in National 
Institute of Health (NIH) experiments. In addition, the Departments of 
Defense, Veteran Affairs, and NIH recently enacted successful animal 
retirement policies. While I am encouraged by the Senate's past work on 
primates and the recent policies developed by a few agencies; there are 
still many Federal agencies, including the Departments of Agriculture, 
Interior, Commerce, NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency that lack 
formal policies for animals that have been used in experiments.
  The AFTER Act builds on successful policies at DOD, VA, and NIH by 
directing all Federal agencies to promulgate regulations that would 
facilitate the retirement of laboratory animals. The bill provides 
flexibility for each agency to devise its own policy, with the goal of 
ensuring that such animals, whenever possible, are retired and not 
killed. Additionally, the AFTER Act requires animals to be evaluated by 
a licensed veterinarian and pronounced both mentally and physically 
healthy before leaving an agency. This will help ensure a smooth 
transition to a new environment.
  Our legislation also encourages Federal agencies to work with non-
profit organizations to ensure retired animals are distributid to 
sanctuaries and shelters across the Nation, not just those closest to 
the research facility. This would allow a State like Maine, which does 
not have Federal research labs that use animals, to play a role in 
retiring these animals and providing homes for them.
  Mr. President, there is no reason animals that are suitable for 
adoption or retirement should be killed by our Federal government. The 
AFTER Act would provide the necessary direction Federal agencies need 
in order to move forward with developing retirement policies. I urge 
all of my colleagues to join in support of this important bipartisan 
legislation, the Animal Freedom from Testing, Experiments, and Research 
Act.
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