Katko renews efforts for action on Humane Retirement Act

U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) called on leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives to take action on a bipartisan bill he introduced that would require animal care committees at federally funded entities conducting biomedical or behavioral research to find parties to adopt dogs and cats that have been retired from research.

Rep. Katko is the lead original cosponsor of the Humane Retirement Act, H.R. 2850, which he introduced in May 2019 with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY). The bill now has 51 other cosponsors. 

“I am proud to continue my work with Rep. Rice to implement an adoption policy for Public Health Service research institutions and to join her in calling on House leadership to immediately consider the Humane Retirement Act.”

Prior to euthanizing, H.R. 2850 would stipulate that the animal care committee must assess the temperament of the dog or cat to determine whether it is suitable for adoption and, if so, make reasonable efforts to offer the dog or cat to an adopting party, according to the congressional record summary.

“I introduced this measure alongside Rep. Rice because I believe animals used for research deserve the opportunity for placement into safe homes,” Rep. Katko said. “To achieve this, the Humane Retirement Act establishes a uniform adoption policy across all Public Health Service (PHS) research institutions, ensuring all federal agencies are held to the same standard.”

Under current law, no uniform standard exists requiring all PHS research institutions to facilitate the private adoption of the thousands of healthy animals used each year.

While H.R. 2850 remains under House subcommittee consideration, several federal agencies have announced plans to implement policies outlined in H.R. 2850.

“Following announcements from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and National Institutes of Health, I am pleased to see the Food and Drug Administration become the latest federal agency to implement policies outlined in the Humane Retirement Act,” said Rep. Katko.