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The sale of cosmetics tested on dogs and cats would be banned in Pennsylvania under a Senate-passed bill amended by the House Judiciary Committee Thursday. Senate Bill 381 would also mandate that dogs and cats used in lab testing be put up for adoption once they are no longer being used by the labs.
The legislation, dubbed the Beagle Bill by lawmakers, was inspired by a 2022 case in which dozens of beagles were rescued from a Virginia lab whose operators were charged with violating federal animal welfare laws.
Animal rights groups say there are more than a dozen animal testing labs in Pennsylvania that use dogs and cats for experiments to assess the effects of drugs, pesticides, chemicals and other products. More than 3,000 dogs and cats in Pennsylvania were subjected to testing in research facilities, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The bill was approved unanimously by the Judiciary Committee, but Rep. Rob Kauffman, R-Franklin, the minority chairman of the committee, sharply criticized changes made to the bill by House Democrats.
"It was a well-done, well-thought out bill," he said. "I'm very frustrated we can't pass out a clean bill."
Even so, he said he was voting for the measure to advance the legislation sponsored by Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin.
The Senate passed SB 381 unanimously in September 2025.
With Thursday's committee vote, the measure moves to the full House, which is scheduled to return to session on Monday for the start of the fall session. Because the bill was changed by the Judiciary Committee, it must return to the Senate for a concurrence vote even if the House passes it in its current form.
Rep. Tim Briggs, D-Montgomery, the majority chairman of the committee, defended the changes, which he said balance the interests of animal welfare advocates with those of the biosciences industry.
Briggs said the legislation would make Pennsylvania the 18th state to require that dogs used in lab testing be made available for adoption and the 12th state to ban the sale of cosmetics tested on dogs and cats.
Labs conducting animal testing would also be barred from using state tax dollars to directly support research that involves testing that causes pain and distress to the animals while intentionally withholding anesthesia.
Advocacy groups that have been lobbying for the legislation cheered the committee vote, despite the changes.
Kristen Tullo, state director for Humane World for Animals, said the legislation is a "step forward."
Both Tullo and Briggs noted that the state legislation is moving at the same time as federal changes that reduce the need for animal testing.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Sept. 21 released a final rule clarifying that non-animal alternatives -- including using human cells, organs-on-chips, computer models and other advanced technologies -- can be used to demonstrate the safety of products.