The Beagle Freedom Bill, a game-changing measure which allows former lab dogs and cats to be adopted into homes, has just passed in the eighth and ninth state to sign it into law. The Research Animal Retirement Act was passed in Delaware and Rhode Island, and it will change the lives of countless animals as it legally obliges laboratories to release dogs and cats no longer used for testing to rescue organizations that will provide the animals with normal lives and loving homes.

In Delaware, The Research Animal Retirement Act, SB 101, was signed on June 21, 2018 by Governor John Carney.

The measure was sponsored by and became law thanks to the leadership of Senator John Walsh, D-Stanton, Governor John Carney, and Representative Kim Williams, D-Newport, the House Sponsor.

While in Delaware, the implementation of the measure has already been in the works, passing of the bill in Rhode Island was a new development – which made the day even more special, with two Beagle Freedom Bills becoming law. The Beagle Freedom Bill, H 7414/ S 2980, was passed by the Rhode Island General Assembly after a final favorable vote from the Senate just a few hours after Delaware. The bill is now to be signed by Governor Gina Raimondo. It was sponsored by Representative Charlene Lima, Deputy Speaker, and local RI animal protection group, Defenders of Animals. The Senate bill was also sponsored by Senators Dominick Ruggerio and Stephen Archambault.

The other seven states that have already implemented the Beagle Freedom Bill are California, New York, Connecticut, Minnesota, Illinois, Nevada, and Maryland.

Beagle Freedom Project, the organization behind the bill, emphasized that they will continue working to end needless animal testing. Thanks to the historic bill, lab animals in nine states – and hopefully many more in the near future – will have the chance to have normal, happy lives and real families. Without the bill, dogs and cats no longer needed for testing in laboratories have often been killed by the facilities, even though they could have easily been released and adopted out.

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Original Article: One Green Planet