The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“GREAT APE PROTECTION AND COST SAVING ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Senate section on pages S8037 on Dec. 13, 2012.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
GREAT APE PROTECTION AND COST SAVING ACT
Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, consistent with Senate standing orders and my policy of publishing in the Congressional Record a statement whenever I place a hold on legislation, I am announcing my intention to object to any unanimous consent request to proceed to and pass S. 810, the Great Ape Protection and Cost Saving Act.
Oregon is home to one of the eight National Institutes of Health, NIH-supported National Primate Research Centers, and it is already subject to strong local and national oversight to ensure the highest quality and ethical care for animals. These Centers provide outstanding research and powerful research tools that are vital to our understanding of human health and disease and hold enormous potential for finding treatments for life-threatening disorders.
While ensuring the highest quality and ethical care for animals is of utmost importance, there is already significant oversight and regulation of these facilities.
In addition to meeting the high standards required by NIH to obtain and retain Federal health research dollars, centers are also already responsible for meeting the lengthy, detailed and often-updated Federal requirements within the Animal Welfare Act. Facilities are subject to thorough, regular, and unannounced inspections by U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services and are subject to regulations from the Public Health Service, PHS, and Food and Drug Administration, FDA. Experiments must also be approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, IACUC, at the Institution where the scientist works before research can begin.
While I support protecting animals from unethical and inhumane treatment, the NIH is in the process of reviewing and implementing related recommendations from the Institute of Medicine. At this stage, passing legislation would circumvent this ongoing process. For this reason, I object to the Senate taking up and passing S. 810.
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