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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 894 FILED ON: 1/13/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1948
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Sean Reid
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act to protect nonhuman primate infants in research institutions and product testing facilities.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Sean Reid11th Essex1/13/2025Lindsay N. Sabadosa1st Hampshire1/17/2025Sean Garballey23rd Middlesex1/25/2025Michelle L. Badger1st Plymouth1/26/2025Samantha Montaño15th Suffolk2/25/2025Margaret R. Scarsdale1st Middlesex2/25/2025Patrick Joseph Kearney4th Plymouth2/25/2025Estela A. Reyes4th Essex2/25/2025Michael D. BradySecond Plymouth and Norfolk2/25/2025Daniel Cahill10th Essex2/10/2025Colleen M. Garry36th Middlesex2/25/2025James C. Arena-DeRosa8th Middlesex2/25/2025Jennifer Balinsky Armini8th Essex2/18/2025Natalie M. Higgins4th Worcester2/25/2025 1 of 3
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 894 FILED ON: 1/13/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1948
By Representative Reid of Lynn, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1948) of Sean Reid
and others for legislation to protect nonhuman primate infants in research institutions and
product testing facilities. The Judiciary.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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An Act to protect nonhuman primate infants in research institutions and product testing facilities.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Chapter 272 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
2Section 80G the following new section:-
3 Section 80G1/2.
4 (a) As used in this section, the following words shall have the following meanings unless
5the context clearly requires otherwise:
6 “Commissioner”, the commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
7 “Contract testing facility”, a partnership, corporation, association, or other legal
8relationship that tests cosmetics or other products, product formulations, chemicals, or
9ingredients. 2 of 3
10 “Product testing facility”, a facility that is using animals for the testing of consumer
11products, including, but not limited to, cosmetics, pesticides, medical devices, food additives,
12and ingredients for use in such products.
13 “Research institution”, any facility employing nonhuman primates in scientific
14investigation, experiment or instruction or for the testing of drugs or medicines licensed by the
15commissioner of public health under section 174D.
16 “Nonhuman primate (NHP)”, any primate species except humans, including but not
17limited to rhesus macaques, long-tailed (i.e., crab-eating or cynomolgus) macaques, stump-tailed
18macaques, pig-tailed macaques, squirrel monkeys, owl monkeys, African green monkeys,
19marmosets, baboons, spider monkeys, capuchin monkeys, and titi monkeys.
20 (b) A research institution or product testing facility that utilizes infant NHPs in
21experiments shall not remove or separately house the infants from their respective biological
22mothers for the purposes of research, experimentation, or product testing.
23 (c) An infant NHP may be temporarily removed or separately housed from its mother
24only for the medical welfare of either or both NHPs. Upon removal or separation, psychological
25and physical distress shall be minimized for both NHPs without use of sedatives, restraint chairs,
26or similar equipment, and reunion of the NHPs shall not be delayed unless medically necessary.
27 (d) The prohibition in subsection (b) shall begin at the time of the infant NHP’s birth
28through his/her first twelve (12) months of life.
29 (e) The commissioner shall promulgate regulations to implement, enforce, and administer
30this section. 3 of 3
31 SECTION 2. The commissioner shall promulgate regulations to implement this Act no
32later than ninety (90) days following its passage. Section 1 shall take effect 90 days after passage
33of this Act and Section 2 shall take effect upon passage of this Act.