On March 12, 2013, the Minnesota Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee, chaired by Senator Bonoff, unanimously passed SF 1164.
The bill proposes that any research institution that receives state support must offer dogs and cats who have been used for testing purposes and who would otherwise be euthanized, if research does not require them being destroyed at the termination of the test, be offered for adoption through an animal rescue organization. The bill is being held over for inclusion in an omnibus education bill.
Senator Dibble authored the legislation and spoke to its merits at the hearing. The bill was also supported by testimony from Shannon Keith of the Beagle Freedom Project. Shannon spoke about the dogs her organization has found homes for and the overwhelming number of people who apply to adopt dogs that research facilities no longer need for experiments.
The companion bill, HF 1370, is awaiting a hearing in the House Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee. Read more about this legislation here.