Representative Betty McCollum (MN) has reintroduced a bill titled “To amend the Animal Welfare Act to include cold-blooded species as animals, and for other purposes.
Representative Betty McCollum (MN) has reintroduced a bill titled “To amend the Animal Welfare Act to include cold-blooded species as animals, and for other purposes.” McCollum introduced this at the end of the last session (died with session adjournment), and it is back this session as HR2976. This bill should be identical to last session’s introduction, but the text has not yet been posted.
This bill, which should be identical to last session’s introduction, adds reptiles, amphibians, fish, and cephalopods as “animals” under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), meaning the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) must develop new regulations. Basically, the USDA would now be required to license and inspect facilities and breeders with these animals. Businesses would need to comply with the new USDA regulations. The USDA began inspecting and licensing aviculturists (bird breeders) in 2024 (for new licensees). The bill has been assigned to the House Agriculture Committee. We will post more information when available.
The text has not been posted yet, but it should be identical to McCollum’s 2024 version, which you can read at https://usark.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/24-HR9571-AWA.pdf.
Read McCollum’s 9/13/24 press release (when it was bill HR9571) at https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-betty-mccollum-introduces-cold-blooded-animal-research-and.
