This Session is the Best Chance for Dogs and Cats Used in Research to Get A Second Chance
Four years ago this spring, news broke of an undercover report by the Humane Society of the United States. The report was from the Charles River Laboratories in West Michigan and involved dogs (mainly beagles because of their good temperament) being force-fed fungicides. The protocol required the dogs to be killed when their use as research animals was over.
The videofeatured beagle #1016 (named Harvey by the staff). We see him taken from his cage and later returned with a big surgical scar on his chest. Like the other dogs in the study, Harvey is euthanized.
By the time the video was released, another group of beagles was at Charles River undergoing testing, this time for Dow AgroSciences, now Corteva. HSUS had been negotiating with Dow, asking the company to release the 36 so that they could be placed with reputable shelters to be adopted into loving families. The video was released along with a call for people to sign a petition to release “The Dow 36.” The video garnered much media attention and public outrage. Likely as a result, most of the 36 beagles were released to Michigan Humane and were re-homed.
What is the 102nd? It helps you be a more informed, better prepared, and more confident animal advocate.
Within a week of the video’s release, Corteva announced it was stopping the pesticide test. By the following month, a bill had been introduced in the Michigan House to require facilities testing on dogs and cats enter into agreements with a Michigan shelter to release the animals for adoption after the research was over.
That’s where the momentum slowed. There was no action on the bill and it died at the end of session. It was re-written and re-introduced (as 2 bills) in 2021. There was a hearing in July 2022, but the bills languished and died at the end of 2022.
But things are looking up. In March, both the Senate and the House introduced 2-bill packages. The lead sponsors are in the majority party and have leadership positions on the committees to which the bills are assigned.
We expect a variety of animal welfare bills to be introduced in the 102nd which just began in January. AFA will notify you of legislation being introduced through our social media and the monthly Legislative Tracker™. Once you identify the committee to which a bill of interest has been assigned, you can begin to watch those committee hearings to get a feel for how they are run.
There is a video archive so you can look back at past hearings from both the current session and past ones all the way back to 2015. What is the point of watching an old hearing when committee membership and composition has changed, and the bill being considered is no longer pending?
First, it may require several legislative sessions for a bill to finally make it over the finish line and become law. Take for example Teddy’s bill which would require research facilities in the state to partner with shelters so that animals have a chance to be adopted into loving families after the experiments are completed. This bill was introduced in both the 100th and 101st sessions and we expect it to be re-introduced in the 102nd. Teddy’s bill was heard by the House Regulatory Reform Committee on February 22, 2022 (HBs 4881-82). You can watch it here beginning at about 10:30.
Second, watching past hearings of a bill you oppose is an invaluable learning experience. There’s no better way to gain an understanding of the the dynamics of speaking out against a bill that a majority of committee members support. A good example is SR 15 of 2021 calling for a wolf hunt. The Natural Resources Committee took testimony on February 24, 2021 and there was strong opposition. You can watch it here beginning at about 36:20.
