YourVoice.Now Summary
Transparency & AccountabilityNIH, FDA, and CDC money could no longer pay for medical tests on live dogs and cats — with emergency-only exceptions.
Transparency & Accountability
HHS would send Congress a yearly report and post it online within 30 days. It would count funding denials, audits, money paid back, and what happened to retired lab dogs and cats.
Labs paid by HHS could not punish a worker, student, or contractor who reports a likely violation. The same goes for someone who refuses to take part in one. HHS would set up a way to file complaints. It could make a lab give a worker's job back.
Labs that take HHS research money would keep proof they follow the ban for at least six years. HHS, its own watchdog office, and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) could visit labs. They could talk to staff and check those records.
HHS could waive the ban only in a declared emergency, for up to 180 days at a time. Within 15 days, it would tell two House and Senate committees why. It would also list how many animals are used and the cost to taxpayers.
More about this bill
Federal health agencies could no longer pay for medical research on live dogs or cats. The ban covers the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the CDC, and the FDA. It also covers every other health agency in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It reaches each step of the work. That means buying or breeding the animals, housing them, and testing drugs on them. It also covers staff pay and lab overhead tied to that work. Labs could not dodge the ban by buying animals with private money and billing the rest to the government. Work sent to partners, contractors, or foreign labs would count too. The ban would apply to money awarded or spent starting 180 days after the bill becomes law. Some work could go on. Vet care for a sick animal is not covered. Neither is research meant to help dogs and cats themselves. Studies of family pets that are already sick could continue, such as the National Cancer Institute's dog cancer network. Labs that take this money would have to try to place retired dogs and cats in rescues, sanctuaries, or homes. An animal could be put down only if a vet decides it is needed. The HHS Secretary could waive the ban only during a declared health, national, or security emergency. The Secretary would also have to find that no other valid method is available. Each waiver would last up to 180 days unless renewed. Labs would have to promise in writing, every year, that they follow the ban. They would keep records for six years and let federal watchdogs inspect them. A lab that breaks the rules could lose its grants, have to pay money back, or be barred from future funding. Staff who report problems would be protected from firing or other payback. HHS would post a public report on the ban each year. The bill was introduced in the House on September 21, 2026, and sent to the Energy and Commerce Committee.
Congressional Summary
Companion Animal Protection Against Cruel Testing Act This bill prohibits the use of funds made available to covered federal agencies for any biomedical research activity involving a live dog or cat. Covered agencies are agencies or offices within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that award, administer, or expend federal funds for biomedical research. This prohibition also applies to activities that materially facilitate biomedical research involving a live dog or cat (e.g., salaries, facility maintenance, and administrative support primarily related to such research). It does not apply to transportation and rehousing of animals previously used in biomedical research or observational activities that do not involve alteration of an animal’s normal environment or medical care. The prohibition applies to federal funds obligated or expended beginning 180 days after the bill is enacted. HHS may waive the prohibition in limited circumstances if necessary to respond to a specified emergency. Recipients of funding from covered agencies must make reasonable efforts to transfer dogs and cats no longer needed for research to rescue organizations or other appropriate entities. Further, recipients may only euthanize an animal if a veterinarian has determined euthanasia is necessary for animal welfare or public safety. If HHS determines that a recipient has violated a provision of the bill, it may withhold further funding to the recipient, recover funds expended in violation, and impose other administrative remedies. Finally, the Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on the bill's implementation within three years after the bill takes effect.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2026-09-21
- Date Added
- 2026-10-15
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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