WASHINGTON, DC — Humane World for Animals and Humane World Action Fund are endorsing a new bipartisan bill that would block federal health agencies from funding research on live dogs and cats. The legislation, called the Companion Animal Protection Against Cruel Testing Act, or COMPACT Act, was introduced in Congress on Wednesday by Reps. Nick Langworthy, a New York Republican, and Mark Pocan, a Wisconsin Democrat.
The groups say the measure would bar the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including the National Institutes of Health, from paying for experiments using those animals. In their view, the bill would mark a significant step toward replacing animal testing with methods they describe as more modern and more humane.
What the COMPACT Act would change at federal agencies
The bill focuses on federal funding, not a wider ban on all animal research. Under the proposal, HHS and its agencies could no longer use taxpayer dollars to support studies that rely on live dogs and cats.
That would directly affect research overseen or financed by the NIH, one of the largest federal sponsors of biomedical studies. The organizations backing the bill say the aim is to end the use of public money for experiments they believe the American public does not want supported.
Supporters frame the legislation as part of a broader transition to animal-free science. They argue that human-based methods can better serve biomedical research and public health goals while reducing the use of companion animals in laboratories.
Animal rescues that shaped the campaign
Humane World for Animals says public awareness of the issue has grown because of high-profile rescues tied to research facilities. One example is the group’s 2022 rescue of more than 4,000 beagles from Envigo, a laboratory-related operation in Virginia.
More recently, the organization pointed to beagles rescued from Ridglan in Wisconsin as another reason it wants Congress to act. Leaders say those animals were fortunate to leave the research pipeline and get a chance at adoption into homes.
The group has used those rescues to highlight what it describes as the harsh reality faced by dogs and cats in testing settings. It says the COMPACT Act would help prevent more animals from going through the same experience.
Sara Amundson says the bill gives animals a chance at adoption
Sara Amundson, president of Humane World Action Fund, said the rescued beagles from Envigo and Ridglan were the lucky ones. She said the bill would offer dogs and cats used in federally funded experiments a path toward adoption in “loving American homes.”
Amundson also said the legislation would end what she called taxpayer funding for research on animals such as cats and dogs. In her view, Americans do not want those animals subjected to experiments paid for with public dollars.
She urged Congress to move quickly, saying the bill could help usher in a new era of science that relies less on animals and more on methods that better support biomedical progress.
Kitty Block points to laboratory suffering and human-relevant science
Kitty Block, president and chief executive of Humane World for Animals, said the organization has seen up close what happens inside laboratories. She said the group’s work has included exposing the conditions animals can face and rescuing thousands of beagles from Envigo.
Block said every dog and cat should have the chance to live outside the research pipeline and find a home. She added that the organization is also promoting cutting-edge scientific approaches that do not rely on animals and that, in its view, are more effective than traditional testing.
She said the COMPACT Act reflects progress the group has pursued for decades. The bill, she said, could help speed a shift toward a more innovative future for science.
A broader push to reduce and replace animal testing
The organizations backing the bill say it builds on years of work with Congress and federal agencies to reduce and eventually replace the use of animals in research and testing. They point to efforts to win more federal support for non-animal methods and to increase scrutiny of animal use in federally funded studies.
They also say they have encouraged policies at the NIH and other agencies that favor human-based research approaches. In their telling, the COMPACT Act is another step in that effort, targeted specifically at federal funding for dog and cat experiments.
The bill now enters the congressional process, where its sponsors and supporters will press for action. Humane World for Animals and Humane World Action Fund say they want lawmakers to move it forward without delay.
