Florida Senate - 2024 SB 368
By Senator Bradley
6-00453-24 2024368__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to research animals; creating s.
3 828.067, F.S.; requiring research facilities to offer
4 certain dogs and cats for adoption to societies or
5 associations for the prevention of cruelty to animals
6 rather than euthanizing such dogs and cats; providing
7 an exception; authorizing research facilities to enter
8 into collaborative agreements with such societies and
9 associations; providing immunity from liability for
10 research facilities acting in good faith; requiring
11 research facilities to submit specified annual reports
12 to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
13 beginning on a specified date; providing penalties;
14 creating s. 828.068, F.S.; defining terms; requiring
15 certain publicly funded institutions to make an annual
16 report concerning animal testing activities; providing
17 requirements for the report; providing an effective
18 date.
19
20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
21
22 Section 1. Section 828.067, Florida Statutes, is created to
23 read:
24 828.067 Adoption of research dogs and cats.—
25 (1)(a) Before euthanizing a dog or cat that is no longer
26 needed for laboratory research purposes, a research facility
27 located in this state shall offer the dog or cat for adoption to
28 any society or association for the prevention of cruelty to
29 animals, unless euthanizing the dog or cat is required for
30 health or safety reasons.
31 (b) A research facility may enter into a collaborative
32 agreement with a society or association for the prevention of
33 cruelty to animals for the purpose of carrying out this
34 subsection.
35 (2) A research facility that offers a dog or cat to a
36 society or association for the prevention of cruelty to animals
37 pursuant to subsection (1) is immune from civil liability for or
38 resulting from the transfer of the dog or cat if the research
39 facility acted in good faith concerning the health and physical
40 condition of the dog or cat.
41 (3) Beginning January 31, 2025, and each January 31
42 thereafter, a research facility that uses dogs or cats for
43 laboratory research shall submit to the Department of
44 Agriculture and Consumer Services a report that includes the
45 following information for the preceding year:
46 (a) The total number of dogs and cats owned by the
47 facility.
48 (b) The total number of dogs and cats used for research
49 conducted at the facility.
50 (c) The total number of dogs and cats released by the
51 facility to a society or association for the prevention of
52 cruelty to animals for the purpose of adoption.
53 (d) The name and address of each society or association for
54 the prevention of cruelty to animals to which a dog or cat was
55 released by the facility.
56 (4) A research facility that violates subsection (1) may be
57 ordered to pay a civil fine of up to $2,000 per violation in an
58 action to be brought by the state attorney of the county in
59 which the violation occurred.
60 Section 2. Section 828.068, Florida Statutes, is created to
61 read:
62 828.068 Reporting on animal testing.—
63 (1) As used in this section, the term:
64 (a) “Animal” means any live, vertebrate, nonhuman animal.
65 (b) “Animal testing facility” means a facility of a state
66 agency or institution of higher education that confines and uses
67 animals for research, education, or testing or other
68 experimental, scientific, or medical purposes. The term does not
69 include any facility exclusively engaging in agriculture, as
70 defined in s. 570.02, or any agricultural education event.
71 (c) “Animal test method” means a process or procedure that
72 uses animals for research, education, testing, or experimental,
73 scientific, or biomedical purposes.
74 (d) “Contract testing facility” means any partnership,
75 corporation, association, or other legal entity that conducts
76 research, education, testing, or experimental, scientific, or
77 biomedical studies on behalf of another entity.
78 (2) Each publicly funded animal testing facility, contract
79 testing facility, or manufacturer that uses an animal test
80 method shall submit an annual report on or before January 31,
81 2025, and each January 31 thereafter, for the preceding year to
82 the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in a form
83 prescribed by the department. The annual report must include all
84 of the following information:
85 (a) The total number of animals used for research,
86 education, testing, or experimental, scientific, or biomedical
87 purpose, with such animals identified and grouped according to
88 species.
89 (b) The total number of animals per species used for each
90 of the following purposes:
91 1. Studies of a fundamental nature in science relating to
92 essential structures, functions, or disease processes.
93 2. Research and development of treatments, products, or
94 devices for human medicine and dentistry and for veterinary
95 medicine, excluding toxicological and other safety evaluations
96 described in subparagraph 3.
97 3. Toxicological and other safety evaluations, including,
98 but not limited to, safety evaluations of products and devices
99 for human medicine, human dentistry, and veterinary medicine.
100 4. Quality control of products and devices for human or
101 veterinary medicine.
102 5. Education and training of scientists or health care
103 providers.
104 6. Any other purpose not described in this paragraph, to be
105 specified by the person providing the information required by
106 this section.
107 (c) A detailed description of the methodology used for
108 obtaining the counts of animals under paragraphs (a) and (b).
109 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.