Virginia Code 3.2-6593.2: Animal testing facilities; public notification
A. For the purposes of this section:
Terms Used In Virginia Code 3.2-6593.2
- Animal: means any live vertebrate nonhuman animal. See Virginia Code 3.2-6591
- Animal test method: means a process or procedure that uses animals to obtain information on the characteristics of a chemical or agent or the biological effect of exposure to a chemical or agent under specified conditions. See Virginia Code 3.2-6591
- Animal testing facility: means any facility, including a private entity, state agency, or institution of higher education, that confines and uses dogs or cats for research, education, testing, or other scientific or medical purposes. See Virginia Code 3.2-6591
- Board: means the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services. See Virginia Code 3.2-100
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Department: means the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. See Virginia Code 3.2-100
- Facility: means a building or portion thereof as designated by the State Veterinarian, other than a private residential dwelling and its surrounding grounds, that is used to contain a primary enclosure or enclosures in which animals are housed or kept. See Virginia Code 3.2-6500
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Manufacturer: means any partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity that produces chemicals, ingredients, product formulations, or products. See Virginia Code 3.2-6591
- Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
- Process: includes subpoenas, the summons and complaint in a civil action, and process in statutory actions. See Virginia Code 1-237
- state agency: means the same as that term is defined in § 2. See Virginia Code 1-206
“Animal” means any live vertebrate nonhuman species except fish.
“Animal testing facility” means any facility of a state agency or institution of higher education that confines and uses animals for research, education, testing, or other experimental, scientific, or medical purposes. “Animal testing facility” does not include any agricultural operation, as that term is defined in § 3.2-300, or any agricultural education event.
“Animal test method” means a process or procedure that uses animals for research, education, testing, or experimental, scientific, or biomedical purposes.
“Animal Welfare Act” means the federal Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. § 2131 et seq.).
“APHIS” means the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
“Contract testing facility” means any partnership, corporation, association, or other legal relationship that conducts research, education, testing, or experimental, scientific, or biomedical studies on behalf of another entity.
“Critical noncompliance” means an instance of noncompliance that resulted in a serious or adverse effect on the health and well-being of one or more animals, as determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
“Federal facility” means any building or infrastructure used or to be used by the federal government, including any building or infrastructure located on lands owned by the federal government.
“Inspection report” means any report issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to an animal testing facility.
B. Any animal testing facility, contract testing facility, or manufacturer that uses an animal test method shall display a link to its annual report (APHIS Form 7023), as submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture pursuant to the Animal Welfare Act, on the homepage or landing page of the facility’s or manufacturer’s website on or before December 1 for the preceding federal fiscal year.
C. Any animal testing facility shall, within 30 days of receiving an inspection report, make such inspection report publicly available along with any other relevant U.S. Department of Agriculture incident reports and relevant documents generated from internal reviews by either (i) displaying a link to access such information on the homepage or landing page of the animal testing facility’s website or (ii) if such animal testing facility does not have a website, issuing a press release or other similar publication.
D. If an animal testing facility operated by an institution of higher education in the Commonwealth receives a citation for critical noncompliance under the Animal Welfare Act or regulations adopted thereunder, such animal testing facility shall notify the leadership of such institution of higher education, including the president, dean, and board of visitors or board of trustees.
E. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any federal facility or privately owned licensed veterinary practice.