PRINTER'S NO. 3200
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
2164
Session of
2018
INTRODUCED BY READSHAW, BARBIN, O'NEILL, WATSON, BARRAR,
PASHINSKI, BIZZARRO, DAVIS, DONATUCCI, W. KELLER, KULIK,
J. McNEILL, MILLARD, SCHLOSSBERG, THOMAS, YOUNGBLOOD,
DRISCOLL, FRANKEL AND GILLEN, MARCH 26, 2018
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS,
MARCH 26, 2018
AN ACT
Requiring certain research facilities to offer retired animals
for adoption; and providing for civil immunity under certain
circumstances and for enforcement by Department of
Agriculture.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Retired
Animal Adoption Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Animal rescue organization." A nonprofit organization whose
purpose is rescuing animals in need and finding permanent
adoptive homes for the animals.
"Animal shelter." A nonprofit organization that provides
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housing and care for animals, directly or through third-party
agreements with the purpose of finding permanent homes for these
animals through an adoptive process.
"Private placement." An arrangement between a research
facility and an individual seeking to adopt a retired animal.
"Research facility." A higher education research facility
that receives public money, including tax-exempt status, or a
facility that provides research in collaboration with a higher
education facility and any other research facility that conducts
experiments on dogs or cats for science, testing, education or
research purposes.
"Retired animal." A cat or dog that has been previously used
for science, testing, education or research purposes and is no
longer required by the facility and has no substantial medical
condition or safety consideration preventing successful
integration into a family home.
Section 3. Duties of research facilities.
(a) Offer of retired animals for adoption.--A research
facility, or employee or student thereof, that confines and uses
dogs and cats for research, education, testing or scientific
purposes, instead of euthanizing a retired animal, shall:
(1) offer the retired animal to an animal rescue
organization or animal shelter for adoption; or
(2) offer the retired animal for adoption through
private placement.
(b) Agreement required.--A research facility that is
required to offer a retired animal to an animal rescue
organization under this section shall enter into an agreement
with an animal rescue organization or animal shelter for
implementation of this section.
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Section 4. Civil immunity.
A research facility that provides a retired animal to a
rescue organization under this section shall be immune from
civil liability that otherwise might result from its actions,
provided that the research facility acts in good faith.
Section 5. Enforcement.
The Department of Agriculture shall enforce the provisions of
this act.
Section 6. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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