Bill > SB423

This bill, the Animal Research Modernization and Best Practices Act of 2026, prohibits research and testing facilities from using dogs and cats that have undergone devocalization surgery or performing such procedures on them, and mandates that any euthanasia of dogs and cats at these facilities must follow current American Veterinary Medical Association guidelines. It also restricts testing facilities from using traditional animal test methods, which involve live vertebrate animals to assess chemical substances, ingredients, products, or product formulations, when an approved alternative test method (a method not using live animals that produces equivalent or better scientific results) exists or a waiver is available, though exceptions are made for federal or state requirements or for ongoing tests initiated before October 1, 2026. Furthermore, the bill extends existing adoption requirements for dogs and cats used in scientific research to testing facilities, requiring them to make reasonable efforts to find adoptive homes for animals no longer needed for research, and mandates that both testing and research facilities (if using dogs or cats) report annually to the Secretary on animal usage, adoption efforts, and testing methods, with this information to be compiled into an anonymized public report, while also establishing penalties for violations.