Governor of Virginia Signs Historic “Beagle Bills”

The governor of Virginia signs into law the historic “Beagle bills”—HB 1350, SB 87, SB 88, SB 90, and SB 604—which provide protections for animals bred and sold for experiments. Undercover footage captured by PETA ignited calls for reform and oversight at the massive Envigo breeding facility in Cumberland, Virginia. This legislation—which passed with unanimous bipartisan support—will improve animal welfare standards, implement reporting requirements, afford “surplus” animals a chance to be adopted, restrict sales from facilities that have violated federal regulations, and more. Once these laws go into effect, Envigo won’t be able to get away with depriving nursing mother dogs of food for days, letting puppies freeze to death or fall into drains and die, or allowing beagles to suffer from painful and untreated conditions.