Since we launched our #GiveThemBack campaign over five years ago, we’re proud to have secured the first-ever policies allowing the retirement and release of lab survivors at government agencies including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Department of Defense (DOD).  Because of these wins, lucky dogs, cats, rabbits, and other domesticated animals have been retired from taxpayer-funded government labs, and primates have been relocated to sanctuaries.

Now, we’re continuing our work with Congress to make lab animal adoption an option at all of the federal government’s experimentation labs.

Adoption should be an option. Retirement should be a requirement. Taxpayers “bought” the dogs, cats, rabbits, monkeys, and other animals confined in government laboratories, and we want Uncle Sam to give them back!

Joined by dozens of bipartisan cosponsors, Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC) and Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Gary Peters (D-MI)—all past WCW Waste Warrior awardees—have just re-introduced the bipartisan Violet’s Law (S 707/HR 1465).  The bill is named after a hound saved from a taxpayer-funded lab by White Coat Waste Project (WCW) and requires all federal labs to enact policies allowing animals to be retired and adopted out when testing ends.

There are over 40,000 regulated animals locked in federal labs each year. Historically, government white coats usually kill survivors—even healthy and adoptable ones—rather than let taxpayers adopt them, or retire them to sanctuaries. It’s just more convenient. But, polls show that 71 percent of Democrats and 72 of Republicans want retirement, not death, for animals who survive experiments in government labs. Scientific research shows that animals released from labs make great pets, too!

While lab animal retirement enjoys broad bipartisan support, some wayward federal agencies that experiment on animals have yet to create policies allowing it, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Survivors released from taxpayer-funded labs following WCW efforts: Delilah was retired by the USDA when WCW shut down its Kitten Slaughterhouse. Violet was rescued from a lab by a WCW board member. And Gregory is one of 26 monkeys who WCW got released from the FDA’s now-defunct nicotine lab.

Violet’s Law would change that!  Last Congress, this commonsense bill had 116 House cosponsors and 19 cosponsors in the Senate.

Taxpayers “bought” the dogs, cats, rabbits, monkeys, and other animals confined in government laboratories, and we want Uncle Sam to give them back!

Please help us make the government give them back by urging your Congress members to cosponsor Violet’s Law to provide a second chance to animals abused in wasteful government experiments!