Cold-blooded Animal Research and Exhibition Act
Sponsored By: Representative McCollum
Introduced
Summary
Adds cold-blooded species to the Animal Welfare Act. This bill would expand federal coverage to reptiles, amphibians, cephalopods, and fish for purposes of research, testing, exhibition, and as pets, while keeping several current exclusions in place.
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- Researchers and laboratories: Labs that work with covered cold-blooded species would fall under Animal Welfare Act rules for care and oversight. The bill keeps birds, rats (genus Rattus), and mice (genus Mus) bred for research excluded.
- Exhibitors and aquariums: Zoos, aquariums, and other exhibitors showing these species would face the Act’s standards for housing and display.
- Pet owners and sellers: People who own, breed, or sell these cold-blooded pets would be subject to the Act’s protections and requirements for animals kept as pets.
- Clarifications and exclusions: The bill specifies that “dog” includes all dogs, such as hunting, security, or breeding dogs, and it preserves exclusions for horses not used in research and farmed animals used for food, fiber, or production improvement.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
New rules for cold-blooded animals
This bill would expand the Animal Welfare Act to cover cold-blooded animals used in research, testing, exhibition, or kept as pets. It lists reptiles, amphibians, cephalopods, and fish, and would let the Secretary add more species. It would also clarify that “dog” means all dogs, including hunting, security, and breeding dogs. Birds bred for research, and rats and mice bred for research, would still be excluded, as would farm animals and fish used for food or fiber, and horses not used for research. Labs, exhibitors, breeders, aquariums, and some pet sellers could face new compliance rules and costs.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
McCollum
MN • D
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov