PETITION TARGET: Kentucky House Agriculture Committee
A total of 3,208 animals, including 194 dogs and 89 cats, were utilized for animal testing in Kentucky in 2024, according to USDA records. Behind closed doors, these animals endure severe pain and distress, while critical details about these experiments remain hidden from public view—and when their exploitation ends, many are allowed to be killed simply because they are no longer considered useful.
Now, a new state bill in Kentucky has been introduced to strengthen protections for animals used in research by increasing transparency, limiting harmful practices, and ensuring better outcomes for animals once experiments end.
If House Bill 465 passes, animal testing facilities would be required to make “retired” dogs and cats available for adoption through shelters or into loving homes, except when euthanasia is deemed necessary for health or safety reasons.
In addition, the legislation would bar animal testing facilities from using state funds for experiments that cause extreme suffering and require publicly funded facilities to publish annual reports detailing how many animals are used, what research projects are being conducted, the amounts and sources of funding, and the steps being taken to reduce testing.
By reducing funding for cruel experiments, exposing more of what happens in laboratories, and giving animals a chance at life beyond the laboratory, this critical measure would mark a major step forward for animals exploited in research.
Sign our petition urging lawmakers in Kentucky to back this legislation and help protect animals from suffering and death in testing facilities.
