SB 25-085: Health-Related Research Test Subjects - Colorado

Rerevised (03/31/2025) → PA1 (02/28/2025) · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill was amended to change its title number from Article 82 to Article 5.7 in the Colorado Revised Statutes, update department references from Agriculture to Public Health and Environment, and add new provisions clarifying when adoption requirements do not apply (research, health, or safety reasons). The amendments also added immunity from civil liability for facilities acting in good faith during transfers and established annual reporting requirements for adoption statistics.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on health-related research facilities, but the statutory article number changed from 35-82 to 35-5.7, and the responsible department changed from Department of Agriculture to Department of Public Health and Environment.

TECHNICAL

Changed the statutory article number from Article 82 to Article 5.7 in the Colorado Revised Statutes.

DEFINITION

Updated the definition of 'Department' from Department of Agriculture to Department of Public Health and Environment.

REQUIREMENT

Added an exception stating that adoption requirements do not apply if a dog or cat is euthanized for research, health, or safety reasons.

Added annual reporting requirements by January 31 each year for facilities to submit adoption statistics to the Department.

ENFORCEMENT

Added immunity from civil liability for facilities that act in good faith when transferring or adopting out dogs or cats.

Revised (03/28/2025) → Rerevised (03/31/2025) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was rerevised to include all amendments adopted in the Second House, expanding the list of House sponsors. Substantively, the bill removed a section that exempted health-related research facilities from certain adoption requirements when euthanizing dogs or cats for research, health, or safety reasons, and deleted provisions allowing these facilities to enter collaborative agreements with shelters or rescues to satisfy adoption requirements.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed by removing exemptions and collaborative agreement provisions that previously allowed health-related research facilities to bypass certain adoption requirements for dogs and cats.

REQUIREMENT

Deleted an exemption clause that allowed health-related research facilities to avoid adoption requirements when euthanizing dogs or cats for research, health, or safety reasons.

Removed provisions permitting health-related research facilities to enter collaborative agreements with animal shelters or pet rescues to satisfy adoption requirements.

TECHNICAL

Added '3rd Reading Unamended' designation and updated House sponsor list with additional names.

PA2 (03/28/2025) → Revised (03/28/2025) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was revised to incorporate all amendments adopted on second reading in the Second House, updating the official version to reflect final committee changes. The revision includes formatting updates and substantive text changes related to liability protections for animal shelters and reporting requirements for health-related research facilities.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on the adoption of animals used as test subjects in health-related research, but the revision clarifies the version status and includes additional text regarding liability immunity for animal shelters.

TECHNICAL

Header text was changed from 'PREAMENDED' to 'REVISED' to indicate this version includes all amendments adopted on second reading in the Second House.

Added formatting elements including blank lines and date stamps indicating the bill was amended on second reading in the House on March 28, 2025.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new section requiring health-related research facilities to submit annual reports to the Department by January 31, 2026, and each year thereafter.

Removed previous text regarding immunity from civil liability for acts related to transferring or adopting dogs or cats through internal adoption programs.

Final Act (04/11/2025) → PA2 (03/28/2025) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill text was reformatted and reorganized with new header information and committee assignments, but the substantive policy content regarding animal adoption requirements for research facilities remains unchanged. The core provisions requiring research facilities to offer dogs and cats for adoption before euthanasia are preserved in the amended version.

Scope change

No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; the policy requirements remain the same despite formatting updates.

TECHNICAL

Added new header information including session details, committee assignments, and bill summary text that was not present in the original version.

Reorganized the bill structure with new page numbering, formatting conventions, and committee approval sections.

Removed original signature lines and preliminary notes about legislative status that were present in the final act version.

Signed Act (04/22/2025) → Final Act (04/11/2025) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill's text was reformatted and reorganized to prepare it for official signatures, with the main substantive content remaining unchanged. The changes primarily involve structural formatting, including the addition of a note about legislative status and the repositioning of sponsor names and bill titles to match standard final act formatting conventions.

TECHNICAL

Added a note at the beginning indicating the bill is prepared for signatures and directing readers to consult legislative status sheets for Governor action.

Reorganized the bill structure by moving sponsor names and bill title to standard final act formatting positions.

Corrected minor formatting inconsistencies in the definitions section, including spacing and alignment of subsection numbers.

Updated signature lines at the end to replace illegible or placeholder text with proper signature fields for legislative officers and the Governor.

Reengrossed (03/05/2025) → Signed Act (04/22/2025) · 3 edits · Apr 22, 2025

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to correct formatting errors, update sponsor lists to include additional legislators, and revise the article number in the Colorado Revised Statutes from 5.7 to 82. The substantive policy content regarding animal adoption requirements for research facilities remains unchanged.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain the same; only the article number in the statutes was changed from Article 5.7 to Article 82 under Title 35.

TECHNICAL

The article number in the Colorado Revised Statutes was changed from Article 5.7 to Article 82 under Title 35.

Additional Senate and House sponsors were added to the bill sponsorship list.

Formatting and layout errors were corrected, including page headers and sponsor information.

Engrossed (03/04/2025) → Reengrossed (03/05/2025) · 3 edits · Mar 5, 2025

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to include additional sponsors and updated the version status from Engrossed to Reengrossed. A significant substantive change involves the removal of specific reporting requirements for animal health research facilities, eliminating the mandate to report the total number of dogs and cats transferred to shelters or rescue organizations for adoption, as well as those adopted through internal programs.

Scope change

The reporting requirements for animal health research facilities were narrowed by removing specific categories of animal transfer data that facilities must now report.

REQUIREMENT

Eliminated the requirement for health-related research facilities to report the total number of dogs and cats transferred to animal shelters or pet rescue organizations for adoption purposes.

Eliminated the requirement for health-related research facilities to report the number of dogs and cats adopted through internal adoption programs.

TECHNICAL

Updated bill status from Engrossed to Reengrossed and added additional co-sponsors to the Senate sponsorship list.

Introduced (01/23/2025) → Engrossed (03/04/2025) · 3 edits · Mar 5, 2025

MINOR

The bill was amended to expand the reasons a health-related research facility may euthanize animals to include 'research' in addition to health or safety reasons. The amendments also clarify immunity protections for facilities transferring or adopting out animals through internal programs and reorganize reporting requirements to better track both external transfers and internal adoptions.

REQUIREMENT

Expanded euthanasia exemptions to include animals euthanized for research purposes, not just health or safety reasons.

Reorganized reporting requirements to clearly separate tracking of animals transferred to shelters from those adopted through internal programs.

DEFINITION

Clarified immunity protections to cover both transfers to shelters and internal adoptions of animals.

Health-Related Research Test Subjects

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