The bipartisan proposal would restrict federal research spending, strengthen accountability and help animals move from laboratories into retirement and adoption.
Dogs and cats should never be subjected to painful experiments behind laboratory doors. A major bipartisan proposal in Congress would take a significant step toward ending the federal funding that supports those practices.
Led by Representatives Nick Langworthy of New York and Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, the Companion Animal Protection Against Cruel Testing (COMPACT) Act, H.R. 10522, would prohibit the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its covered agencies from funding biomedical research involving live dogs and cats, subject to defined exceptions.
“This revolutionary bill brings incredible optimism for the future of thousands of animals,” said NAVS Director of Advocacy and Sanctuary Meredith Blanchard. “We have made tremendous progress in developing modern, human-based research methods that don’t rely on animals. This legislation is another important step toward a future where animals no longer have to suffer in the name of science.”
Addressing the funding behind animal experiments
The bill reaches beyond the experiments themselves. Its restrictions cover direct and indirect HHS spending on acquiring, breeding, transporting and maintaining dogs and cats for covered research, including associated personnel and facility costs. It also addresses attempts to evade the restrictions through contractors or mixed funding sources.
That broader approach matters. Ending the exploitation of animals used in science requires attention to the systems that sustain it, including the financial decisions that keep animals entering laboratories.
The proposal focuses on HHS funding. It would not establish a nationwide ban on all privately funded research or all animal experimentation.
Creating pathways beyond the laboratory
The COMPACT Act would require funding recipients to make reasonable efforts to place for adoption or transfer dogs and cats after biomedical research, consistent with veterinary judgment,
For animals leaving research, the opportunity for a different life must come with care, preparation and responsible placement. Through NAVS’ Animal Sanctuary Assistance Program (ASAP), we support sanctuary and rescue partners helping animals begin that next chapter. Those experiences reinforce why pathways beyond laboratories deserve attention alongside restrictions on future experiments.
Making accountability part of the change
The legislation would also establish compliance and oversight requirements, annual public reporting and an independent Government Accountability Office review. These measures would help make implementation visible and assess whether institutions are meeting their responsibilities.
Humane science needs sustained investment and adoption. FDA identifies approaches including AI-based models, organs-on-chips and other human-based systems as tools in the transition away from animal testing. Federal policy should help advance that transition.
A major opportunity that needs public support
The COMPACT Act was introduced on September 21, 2026, and referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. It has not become law.
Its introduction creates an opportunity for advocates to make a clear request of Congress: stop using HHS research dollars to support covered experiments on dogs and cats, strengthen accountability and help animals move toward life beyond laboratories.
“At its core, the COMPACT Act is about protecting animals that have already endured so much,” said Blanchard. “We have an opportunity to change how dogs and cats are treated in federally funded research, but that change won’t happen without public support. We need people to reach out to their representatives and let them know this issue matters.”
NAVS’ mission extends to every animal used in science. Securing protections for dogs and cats would be a meaningful step toward that broader goal.
Help turn this opportunity into change. Urge your representative to support the COMPACT Act.
