Official Summaries

Higher Education Loses Payments for Painful Experiments, Tests and Studies Act or the HELP PETS Act

This bill prohibits an institution of higher education (IHE) from receiving federal funds if the IHE conducts or funds painful research on dogs or cats. Painful research refers to any research, biomedical training, experimentation, or biological testing classified in specified pain categories by the Department of Agriculture.

Current Full Text

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 233 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 233

To prohibit the availability of Federal funds to institutions of higher 
  education that conduct painful biomedical research on dogs and cats.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 7, 2025

 Ms. Malliotakis introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                the Committee on Education and Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To prohibit the availability of Federal funds to institutions of higher 
  education that conduct painful biomedical research on dogs and cats.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Higher Education Loses Payments for 
Painful Experiments, Tests and Studies Act'' or the ``HELP PETS Act''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON AVAILABILITY OF FEDERAL FUNDS TO INSTITUTIONS OF 
              HIGHER EDUCATION THAT CONDUCT PAINFUL RESEARCH USING DOGS 
              AND CATS.

    (a) In General.--Beginning on the date that is 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, no Federal funds may be made 
available to any institution of higher education that conducts or 
funds, in whole or in part, painful research on dogs or cats.
    (b) Exceptions.--Subsection (a) shall not apply to--
            (1) clinical veterinary research; or
            (2) any physical exam, training program, or study relating 
        to service animals or military animals.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Clinical veterinary research.--The term ``clinical 
        veterinary research'' means research on a dog or cat with a 
        naturally occurring disease or injury that is conducted--
                    (A) for the benefit of the dog or cat; and
                    (B) with the intention of studying the effect of a 
                procedure, device, or treatment protocol.
            (2) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1002).
            (3) Military animal.--The term ``military animal'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 2583(i)(1) of title 10, 
        United States Code.
            (4) Painful research.--The term ``painful research'' 
        includes any research, biomedical training, experimentation, or 
        biological testing classified in pain category D or E by the 
        Department of Agriculture.
            (5) Service animal.--The term ``service animal'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 37.3 of title 49, Code of 
        Federal Regulations.
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