HELP PETS Act

The HELP PETS Act prohibits U.S. federal funding from being provided to colleges and universities that conduct or fund painful research on dogs or cats, effective 180 days after enactment. This directly affects institutions receiving federal grants or contracts, such as research universities. Exceptions include clinical veterinary research (for a dog or cat’s benefit with naturally occurring conditions) and studies involving service animals or military animals. The bill defines "painful research" using USDA pain categories D or E, excluding non-painful procedures.