HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania has enacted new restrictions on animal testing, requiring research facilities to provide adoption opportunities for eligible dogs and cats, increasing public access to laboratory oversight records, and prohibiting the sale of newly animal-tested cosmetics under legislation signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Senate Bill 381, known as the Beagle Bill, became Act 92 of 2026 after passing unanimously in both chambers of the General Assembly. The law also establishes conditions for using state funds in experiments involving dogs and cats.
The legislation affects research institutions, cosmetics businesses and animal welfare organizations, introducing additional requirements governing the treatment of research animals and public disclosure of laboratory operations.
Under the law, dogs and cats used in research must be given an opportunity for adoption after experiments conclude. The measure creates a pathway for animals to enter homes rather than remain exclusively within research facilities.
The legislation also prohibits the sale of cosmetics that have been newly tested on animals, extending the state’s animal welfare requirements to products offered in the consumer market.
Research facilities must prominently display a link to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Care public search tool on their websites. The database provides access to annual reports, inspection findings, and federal enforcement actions involving regulated facilities.
The transparency requirement allows consumers and other members of the public to examine federal oversight records without first locating the relevant government database independently.
The law also restricts state funding for experiments involving dogs or cats unless research facilities comply with federal oversight requirements.
Those requirements include review and approval of research protocols by an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and supervision by an attending veterinarian.
According to USDA figures cited by state Rep. Melissa Shusterman, laboratories nationwide reported using more than 40,000 dogs and 10,000 cats in 2024. In Pennsylvania, 12 facilities reported using more than 3,000 dogs and cats in experiments.
The legislation comes amid federal efforts to expand alternatives to animal testing. Agencies including the National Institutes of Health, Environmental Protection Agency, and Food and Drug Administration have outlined plans to increase the use of non-animal research methods.
Shusterman, a Chester County Democrat who founded and co-chairs the bipartisan Pennsylvania Animal Protection Caucus, said the legislation had been a longstanding priority for lawmakers working on animal welfare policy.
“My colleagues and I in the Animal Protection Caucus have spent years advocating for this vital legislation which gives dogs and cats the chance to be adopted into loving homes after their experiments are over and creates greater transparency in animal testing facilities,” Shusterman said.
State Sen. Nick Pisciottano, an Allegheny County Democrat and caucus co-chair, also supported the measure.
The law establishes new obligations for Pennsylvania research facilities while creating additional protections for animals used in experiments and expanding public access to information about laboratory practices.
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