To prohibit the availability of Federal funds to institutions of higher education that conduct painful biomedical research on dogs and cats.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill prohibits all federal funding to any institution of higher education that conducts or funds painful research on dogs or cats (USDA pain categories D or E), with exemptions for clinical veterinary research. It relies on compliance mandates and exemptions. The main policy areas are Science & Space, Education, Animal Welfare, and Agriculture.
Who Benefits and How
Service animal and military animal training programs would be affected, Animal welfare advocacy organizations would be affected, and Clinical veterinary researchers would be affected.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Universities and colleges conducting painful biomedical research on dogs or cats could lose revenue opportunities and Biomedical researchers using canine/feline disease models would take on compliance duties.
Key Provisions
- Prohibits all federal funding to any institution of higher education that conducts or funds painful research on dogs or cats (USDA pain categories D or E), with exemptions for clinical veterinary research...
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
The bill prohibits all federal funding to any institution of higher education that conducts or funds painful research on dogs or cats (USDA pain categories D or E), with exemptions for clinical veterinary research.
Key Policy Areas
Science & Space, Education, Animal Welfare, Agriculture
Primary Purpose
The bill prohibits all federal funding to any institution of higher education that conducts or funds painful research on dogs or cats (USDA pain categories D or E), with exemptions for clinical veterinary research.
Policy Domains
Entire Bill - HELP PETS Act
Identified Gains
- Service animal and military animal training programs
- Animal welfare advocacy organizations
- Clinical veterinary researchers
- Alternative research method providers (in vitro, computer modeling, human tissue)
Identified Costs
- Universities and colleges conducting painful biomedical research on dogs or cats
- Biomedical researchers using canine/feline disease models
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMs. Malliotakis introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Alternative research method providers (in vitro, computer modeling, human tissue), Biomedical researchers using canine/feline disease models
Positive-direction: Alternative research method providers (in vitro, computer modeling, human tissue)
Negative-direction: Biomedical researchers using canine/feline disease models
Universities and colleges conducting painful biomedical research on dogs or cats
Animal welfare advocacy organizations
Service animal and military animal training programs
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "federal_agencies"
- → Department of Education (administers higher education funding), Department of Agriculture (classifies pain categories)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Research on a dog or cat with a naturally occurring disease or injury that is conducted for the benefit of the animal and with the intention of studying the effect of a procedure, device, or treatment protocol
As defined in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)
As defined in section 2583(i)(1) of title 10, United States Code
Any research, biomedical training, experimentation, or biological testing classified in pain category D or E by the Department of Agriculture
As defined in section 37.3 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology