SB 25-085

Senate Bill 25-085, also known as the "Health-Related Research Test Subjects" bill, requires facilities that use animals for health-related research to first try to find homes for dogs and cats through animal shelters or rescue organizations before euthanizing them. If a facility has its own adoption program, it must offer the animals there first. The bill also protects these facilities from legal consequences if something goes wrong after transferring an animal. Additionally, these facilities are required to report annually on how many animals they have transferred and adopted out. Since the bill has been signed into law, health-related research facilities in Colorado now need to follow these new rules.

Official Summary

The act requires a facility that uses animals for health-related research (health-related research facility) to offer a dog or cat to an animal shelter or a pet animal rescue for the purpose of adoption before euthanizing the animal. If the health-related research facility has an internal adoption program, the facility may first offer the dog or cat for adoption through the internal adoption program before offering the dog or cat to an animal shelter or a pet animal rescue. A health-related research facility that acts in good faith to transfer or adopt out a dog or cat to an animal shelter or a pet animal rescue is immune from civil liability for acts or circumstances related to or resulting from the transfer or internal adoption of the dog or cat. A health-related research facility must submit an annual report to the department of agriculture that includes the following information for the previous year: The total number of dogs and cats that the health-related research facility transferred to an animal shelter or a pet animal rescue for the purpose of adoption; The total number of dogs and cats that the health-related research facility adopted out through an internal adoption program; and The name and address of each animal shelter or pet animal rescue to which the health-related research facility transferred a dog or cat for the purpose of adoption.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Votes