Research Facilities and Testing Facilities That Use Animals - Regulation

SB 536 regulates research and testing facilities in Maryland that use dogs or cats, prohibiting them from conducting certain canine or feline toxicological experiments and using traditional animal test methods when scientifically valid alternatives exist. The bill requires facilities to reduce dog and cat use to the minimum necessary and adopt animals used in research (but not testing) after studies end. It defines "alternative test methods" as non-animal approaches with equivalent scientific quality, including computational models and lab-based studies. This directly affects Maryland facilities conducting research or testing involving dogs or cats, particularly in chemical, drug, or product safety evaluations.