Bill Text: MI SB1166 | 2025-2026 | 103rd Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Animals: research facilities; guidelines for adoptable animals; provide for. Amends secs. 1 & 8a of 1969 PA 224 (MCL 287.381 & 287.388a).
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-09-10 - Referred To Committee On Natural Resources And Agriculture [SB1166 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2025-SB1166-Introduced.html
SENATE BILL NO. 1166
A bill to amend 1969 PA 224, entitled
"An act to license and regulate dealers that deliver, transport, board, buy, or sell dogs or cats for laboratory research purposes; to regulate research facilities that use dogs or cats for laboratory research; to require research facilities to offer laboratory animals no longer needed for laboratory research to certain animal protection shelters for adoption before euthanizing; to require research facilities to submit annual reports; to provide immunity from civil liability under certain conditions; to create certain funds; and to repeal acts and parts of acts,"
by amending sections 1 and 8a (MCL 287.381 and 287.388a), section 1 as amended and section 8a as added by 2023 PA 315.
the people of the state of michigan enact:
(a) "Animal protection shelter" means a facility that is registered under section 6 of 1969 PA 287, MCL 287.336, and is operated by any of the following:
(i) A person.
(ii) A humane society.
(iii) A society for the prevention of cruelty to animals.
(iv) Any other nonprofit organization for the care of homeless animals.
(b) "Attending veterinarian" means that term as defined in 9 CFR 1.1.
(c) (b) "Cat" means a domestic cat of any age of the species Felis catus.
(d) (c) "Dealer" means a person that for compensation or profit delivers for transportation, transports, boards, buys, or sells dogs or cats for research purposes. Dealer does not include a person that breeds or raises dogs or cats for sale to a research facility.
(e) (d) "Department" means the department of agriculture and rural development.
(f) (e) "Director" means the director of the department.
(g) (f) "Dog" means a domestic dog of any age of the species Canis lupus familiaris.
(h) (g) "Laboratory animal" means a dog or cat that is used or intended to be used for laboratory research at a research facility.
(i) (h) "Laboratory research" means research, tests, or experiments conducted for education, scientific, medical, or experimental purposes.
(j) (i) "Municipality" means a county, city, village, or township.
(k) (j) "Person" means an individual, estate, business or nonprofit entity, public corporation, government or governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, or other legal entity.
(l) (k) "Research facility" means a school, hospital, laboratory, institution, organization, or person that is licensed or otherwise registered with the United States Department of Agriculture, that uses or intends to use a laboratory animal in laboratory research, and that does 1 or both of the following:
(i) Purchases or transports laboratory animals.
(ii) Receives funds from this state, a local government, or an agency or instrumentality of this state or a local government to finance its operations through grants, loans, or other funds.
(m) "Suitable for adoption" means that a laboratory animal is evaluated and meets the following criteria:
(i) Is not suffering from a medical condition that would cause significant and ongoing suffering or imminent death.
(ii) Does not present a substantial and unmitigable risk of serious physical injury to the public or a prospective adopter.
(iii) May have a medical or behavioral condition that is treatable or manageable through reasonable medical care, behavioral intervention, environmental management, or a combination of these.
(n) "Veterinarian" means an individual who is licensed to engage in the practice of veterinary medicine under part 188 of the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.18801 to 333.18838.
Sec. 8a. (1) Before euthanizing a laboratory animal no longer needed for laboratory research that the attending veterinarian, as that term is defined in 9 CFR 1.1, determines is suitable for adoption, Subject to the requirements of subsections (2) and (3), and before a laboratory animal can be euthanized, a research facility shall first offer the a laboratory animal that is no longer needed for laboratory research directly to its employees or for adoption. If an employee does not adopt a laboratory animal that is no longer needed for laboratory research, the research facility shall then offer the laboratory animal to an animal protection shelter located in this state for adoption.
(2) Before a laboratory animal that is no longer needed for laboratory research can be offered for adoption under subsection (1), the attending veterinarian of the research facility shall evaluate the laboratory animal and issue a written determination regarding whether the laboratory animal is suitable for adoption. An attending veterinarian shall not make a determination that a laboratory animal is not suitable for adoption solely due to any of the following:
(a) A medical or behavioral reason unless an evaluation made under subsection (3) also determines the laboratory animal is not suitable for adoption due to a medical or behavioral reason.
(b) The anticipated cost of treatment or rehabilitation.
(c) The length of time required for treatment or rehabilitation.
(d) The availability of research facility resources, space, or staffing.
(3) If the attending veterinarian issues a written determination under subsection (2) that concludes that a laboratory animal is suitable for adoption, the research facility shall offer the laboratory animal for adoption under subsection (1). If the research facility offers the laboratory animal to an animal protection shelter under subsection (1), the animal protection shelter may, but is not required to, designate a veterinarian to review the written determination issued under subsection (2), evaluate the laboratory animal in accordance with this subsection, and issue a written determination regarding whether the laboratory animal is suitable for adoption. If the attending veterinarian issues a written determination under subsection (2) that concludes that a laboratory animal is not suitable for adoption, the research facility shall have the laboratory animal evaluated by a veterinarian who is designated by an animal protection shelter that partners with the research facility. A designated veterinarian that makes an evaluation under this subsection shall do all of the following:
(a) Conduct a physical examination of the laboratory animal, which may include, but is not limited to, a blood analysis or diagnostic imaging.
(b) Identify any medical or behavioral conditions relevant to adoptability and assess whether the condition is treatable or manageable with reasonable care.
(c) Issue a written determination that determines whether the laboratory animal is suitable for adoption.
(4) If 1 or both of the written determinations issued under subsections (2) and (3) conclude that a laboratory animal is suitable for adoption, the research facility shall offer the laboratory animal for adoption under subsection (1). If both written determinations issued under subsection (2) and (3) conclude that a laboratory animal is not suitable for adoption, the research facility shall euthanize the laboratory animal.
(5) Research facilities and animal protection shelters shall maintain the written determinations issued under subsections (2) and (3), as applicable, and make the written determinations available to the department on request. Research facilities and animal protection shelters are responsible for the reasonable costs associated with issuing the written determinations under subsections (2) and (3), as applicable.
(6) The department shall promulgate rules in accordance with the administrative procedures act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.201 to 24.328, that provide for a process and form for attending veterinarians and veterinarians to use when evaluating a laboratory animal and issuing a written determination under subsections (2) and (3).
(7) (2) A research facility that provides a former laboratory animal to an animal protection shelter may enter into a written agreement to carry out the purpose of subsection (1). A written agreement under this subsection may include an acknowledgment that the animal protection shelter accepts and takes responsibility for any and all risks that may be associated with the former laboratory animal and an agreement to waive the right to hold the research facility liable for behavioral or health issues.
(8) (3) An animal protection shelter that places a laboratory animal received from a research facility under subsection (1) for adoption shall enter into a written agreement with the individual that adopts the former laboratory animal. A written agreement under this subsection must include an acknowledgment that the adopting individual understands that the animal was a former laboratory animal. A written agreement under this subsection may also require that the adopting individual accepts any and all risks that may be associated with the former laboratory animal and an agreement to waive the right to hold the animal protection shelter liable for behavioral or health issues.
(9) (4) This section may be known as "Teddy's law".
