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         828.067Adoption 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         828.068Reporting 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.