Appropriations testimony submitted

March 31, 2008 • Posted in Project R&R News

NEAVS/Project R&R submitted testimony to the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.

“Congress annually considers… appropriations measures, which provide funding for numerous [federal] activities, …[and] general government operations such as the administration of federal agencies.” (http://appropriations.house.gov/) The House and Senate Appropriations Committees control about 40% of total federal spending for a fiscal year. The House and Senate legislative committees control the remaining approximate 60% of funding. Appropriations considers and accepts testimony for the record from interested parties.
Read the complete testimony.

NEAVS/Project R&R’s testimony is an important reminder to legislators that the animal model is not a research model of choice, cost-benefit or necessity. A key emphasis in our 2009 Appropriations testimony submitted is for the reallocation of funding for chimpanzee research into funding for non-animal methods. The testimony’s suggestions are substantiated with scientific, ethical, economic and public opinion arguments.

Key Points from 2009 appropriations testimony:

NEAVS/Project R&R requests that no federal funding be appropriated for:

  • breeding of chimpanzees or other great apes for research
  • transfer of federally-owned chimpanzees to private ownership
  • housing/maintenance/endowments for federally-owned chimpanzees in private facilities
  • maintenance of surplus chimpanzees except in retirement in sanctuary
  • research involving the use of chimpanzees

NEAVS/Project R&R requests that federal funding be appropriated for:

  • transfer of federally-owned chimpanzees into sanctuary
  • housing/maintenance grants for federally-owned chimpanzees in sanctuary
  • retirement of all “surplus” chimpanzees now held in laboratories
  • reallocation of funding for chimpanzee research into funding non-animal research methods

NEAVS/Project R&R has submitted testimony in the past on important funding concerns for animal in laboratories such as:

- Department of Health and Human Services: Proposed Rules on Standards of Care for Chimpanzees Held in the Federally Supported Chimpanzee Sanctuary System (2005)
Read testimony here.

- House and Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Testimony: Requesting that federal funding for breeding chimpanzees for research, or for projects that require breeding, be terminated. (2007)
Read testimony here.

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