Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) looks to help dogs and cats everywhere rest a little easier with legislation to crack down on animal abusers and testing companies.
His amendment, attached to the Farm, Nutrition and Bioenergy Act of 2007, prohibits the sale of "random source" animals to medical testing companies, barring individuals from picking up stray animals and selling them to testers.
The law also bars salespeople from using live animals in test demonstrations of their products. It would also toughen penalities for research institutions violating the federal Animal Welfare Act from $2,500 per violation to $10,000.
Israel worked with the Humane Society over the last year to create the amendment, and the final bill could come up for a vote tomorrow, his office said.
Aaron Cahall