Pennsylvania Enacts 'Beagle Bill' to Enhance Animal Cruelty Protections and Research Animal Adoption
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro recently signed Senate Bill 381, known as the 'Beagle Bill,' into law, significantly improving animal cruelty protections for dogs and cats across the state. This bipartisan legislation bans the sale of cosmetics and cosmetic ingredients newly tested on animals. Crucially, it establishes mandatory pathways for dogs and cats used in research facilities to be adopted rather than euthanized once their research use concludes. The bill also mandates increased transparency by requiring research facilities to link to USDA public search tools and places restrictions on state taxpayer funding for certain animal experiments. This move makes Pennsylvania the 18th state to require the adoption of retired research animals, with the provision set to take effect on April 20, 2027. The legislation was significantly influenced by the 2022 rescue of over 4,000 beagles from the Envigo dog-breeding facility in Cumberland, Virginia, following an undercover investigation that revealed horrific...
