By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Virginia’s Gov. Ralph Northam has just signed into law bills that would ban new cosmetics animal testing and sales of animal-tested cosmetics in his state.

Virginia joins three U.S. states that already have similar laws on their books. In 2018 California became the first state to prohibit the sale of animal-tested cosmetics followed by Nevada and Illinois in 2019.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

The devastation wrought by the recent deep freeze in Texas is a stark reminder of the urgent need for disaster planning that includes tens of thousands of animals in puppy mills, roadside zoos and other enterprises. Today, to address that need, Representatives Dina Titus, D-Nev., and Rodney Davis, R-Ill., joined by more than 115 cosponsors, have reintroduced a bill to mandate preparedness planning by entities regulated under the Animal Welfare Act.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Cosmetics animal testing is on its way out the world over and U.S. states are rapidly moving in the direction of that trend. Just this month lawmakers in three states—Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey—have moved decisively to end the sales of cosmetics tested on animals and/or prohibit cosmetics animal testing.

Virginia lawmakers last week voted to pass legislation to ban cosmetics animal testing and sales of animal-tested cosmetics. The bill now heads to Gov. Ralph Northam for his signature.

Animal protection groups sue National Institutes of Health for reneging on commitment to retire former laboratory chimpanzees to sanctuary

Animal protection groups sue National Institutes of Health for reneging on commitment to retire former laboratory chimpanzees to sanctuary

Animal protection groups sue National Institutes of Health for reneging on commitment to retire former laboratory chimpanzees to sanctuary

WASHINGTON (January 14, 2021)—A lawsuit filed today in the federal District Court in Maryland charges the National Institutes of Health with violating federal law when it decided not to send to sanctuary 44 federally owned chimpanzees held at the Alamogordo Primate Facility in New Mexico.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Thirty-seven chimpanzees languishing at a New Mexico primate laboratory are still waiting for the National Institutes of Health to fulfil a promise it made in 2015—to retire them to sanctuary after a lifetime spent in research.

Today, we’re giving these animals a helping hand by suing the federal agency, which has shamelessly reneged on this promise.