Congressman Ken Calvert has introduced the HEARTS Act, formally known as the Humane and Existing Alternatives in Research and Testing Sciences Act. The bipartisan legislation, designated as H.R. 1291, aims to promote humane alternatives to animal testing in experiments funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Congressman Chris Pappas is the Democratic co-lead and original cosponsor of this initiative.
Rep. Calvert stated, “I continue to believe that we can protect animals and taxpayers by taking steps to ensure alternatives to the use of animals in research are utilized as much as possible.” He emphasized that the HEARTS Act is a significant step towards reducing unnecessary animal testing at NIH. Rep. Pappas added, “The NIH represents the gold standard for groundbreaking science, research, and development that improves the lives of people around the world. It should lead on advancing modern research and testing methods as well.”
The act has garnered support from Cruelty Free International, which commented on its potential impact: “The US National Institutes of Health faces growing pressure to replace animal use in publicly funded research. The HEARTS Act supports this transition by incentivizing non-animal methods and ensuring research proposals are reviewed by experts in modern alternatives.”
Key provisions of the HEARTS Act include establishing incentives for using non-animal methods, setting guidelines for thorough searches for such alternatives, requiring proposal reviewers with expertise in these methods, and creating a National Center for Alternatives to Animals in Research and Testing within NIH.
Additionally, the bill proposes updating the definition of “animal” to include cephalopods like octopuses, aligning with EU and UK regulations.
