116th CONGRESS 1st Session |
To amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from conducting medical research causing significant pain or distress to dogs.
February 13, 2019
Ms. Titus (for herself, Mr. Mast, Mr. Ted Lieu of California, Mr. Zeldin, Mrs. Walorski, Mr. Gaetz, Mr. Brendan F. Boyle of Pennsylvania, Mr. Cohen, Ms. Kuster of New Hampshire, Mr. Buchanan, Mr. Turner, Mr. Stauber, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Ms. Norton, Mr. Hastings, Mr. DeFazio, Mr. Posey, Mr. Collins of New York, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Suozzi, Mrs. Brooks of Indiana, Mr. Katko, Ms. McCollum, Ms. Velázquez, Mr. Foster, Mr. Ruppersberger, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Engel, Mr. Crist, Mr. Deutch, Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, Mr. Soto, Ms. Bass, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. Wild, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Guthrie, Mr. Welch, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. Yarmuth, Mr. Lowenthal, Mr. Hurd of Texas, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. David Scott of Georgia, Mr. Lawson of Florida, Mr. Aguilar, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Estes, Mr. Grothman, Mr. Lamb, Mr. Evans, Mr. Neguse, Mr. Cárdenas, Mrs. Lowey, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Quigley, Mr. Swalwell of California, and Ms. Johnson of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
To amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from conducting medical research causing significant pain or distress to dogs.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
This Act may be cited as the “Preventing Unkind and Painful Procedures and Experiments on Respected Species Act of 2019” or the “PUPPERS Act of 2019”.
SEC. 2. Prohibition on Department of Veterans Affairs medical research causing significant pain or distress to dogs.
(a) In general.—Section 7303 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
“(e) (1) In carrying out research, the Secretary may not purchase, breed, transport, house, feed, maintain, dispose of, or experiment on dogs as part of the conduct of any study that causes significant pain or distress.
“(2) In this subsection, the term ‘study that causes significant pain or distress’—
“(A) includes any study classified to pain category D or E by the Department of Agriculture; and
“(B) does not include any physical exam, training program, or study relating to service or working dogs.”.
(b) Effective date.—The amendment made by subsection (a) shall take effect 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act.