MSPCA-Angell Headquarters

350 South Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02130
(617) 522-7400
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Angell Animal Medical Centers – Boston

350 South Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02130
(617) 522-7282
angellquestions@angell.org
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Angell West

293 Second Avenue, Waltham, MA 02451
(781) 902-8400
For on-site assistance (check-ins and pick-ups):
(339) 970-0790
angellquestions@angell.org
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Angell at Essex

565 Maple Street, Danvers, MA 01923
(978) 304-4648
essex@angell.org
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Animal Care and Adoption Centers – Boston

350 South Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02130
(617) 522-5055
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Animal Care and Adoption Centers – Cape Cod

1577 Falmouth Road, Centerville, MA 02632
(508) 775-0940
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Animal Care and Adoption Centers – Nevins Farm

400 Broadway, Methuen, MA 01844
(978) 687-7453
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Animal Care and Adoption Centers – Northeast Animal Shelter

347 Highland Ave., Salem, MA 01970
(978) 745-9888
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Federal Legislation

Congress, located in Washington, D.C., passes laws that apply to the entire country. Each Congress is two years and includes two legislative sessions, one per year. We are currently in the first of the two legislative sessions of the 119th Congress. This Congress began on January 3, 2025 and will end on January 3, 2026. Every citizen in the United States is represented by one Congressional Representative and two Senators — in Massachusetts, these are Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren. There are nine Congressional Representatives in total from Massachusetts, one of whom represents you depending on where you live. Find out who your Representative is here and find contact information for the Massachusetts delegation here. You can also learn more about legislators and read our helpful tips on engaging with your elected officials.

Bills We Support

Companion Animals

H.R.3732/S.1939 — Bring Animals Relief and Kibble (BARK) Act 
These bipartisan bills provide liability protections for businesses wishing to donate excess pet food and supplies, such as blankets, toys, crates, leashes, and more, which would encourage more donations. This legislation would help to support shelters struggling to operate, ensuring animals have access to the resources they need, while also reducing waste.

H.R.2253 — Puppy Protection Act of 2025
The Puppy Protection Act (H.R.2253) will strengthen the standards of care for tens of thousands of dogs in commercial breeding facilities by modernizing outdated regulations in the Animal Welfare Act. The bill would require critical improvements, such as solid flooring, exercise, feeding twice per day, increased veterinary care, and protection from extreme temperatures. It also sets breeding limits and ensures that breeders make reasonable efforts to rehome retired dogs instead of discarding or killing them.

H.R.349 — Goldie’s Act
Goldie’s Act is named in honor of a Golden Retriever who suffered and died in a puppy mill where, despite the USDA’s documented observations of her deteriorating condition, including her skeletal state, no action was taken to save her life. The legislation would help to prevent such situations by strengthening enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). Specifically, the legislation requires more frequent and meaningful inspections; mandates the confiscation of animals found to be suffering life-threatening harm due to AWA non-compliance; imposes more meaningful penalties; and ensures timely communication with local law enforcement by requiring that violations discovered during inspections be shared with relevant law enforcement within 24 hours.

All Animals

H.R.3112/S.1538 — Better CARE (Collaboration, Accountability, and Regulatory Enforcement) for Animals Act of 2025
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is responsible for enforcing Animal Welfare Act (AWA) violations, but with only three administrative judges for the entire agency, it faces severe limitations in the number of cases it can pursue. While the AWA does allow the Department of Justice to bring federal cases, meaning that many more violations could potentially be prosecuted each year, administrative and other barriers currently hinder DOJ’s ability to exercise these privileges. The Better CARE for Animals Act would help dismantle these barriers by giving the DOJ critical tools, such as access to AWA violator evidence, the power to revoke licenses, and the ability to seize and remove mistreated animals.

H.R.712 — Child and Animal Abuse Detection and Reporting Act
This bill would help protect both children and animals by raising awareness and deepening understanding about the well-documented connection between animal abuse and human violence. The National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information provides valuable information about child abuse and neglect, including resources on the link between substance abuse and child maltreatment. This legislation would require that it also include resources on the connection between animal abuse and child maltreatment, which could help identify potential warning signs of either child or animal maltreatment.

H.R.1477 — Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act of 2025
This legislation would strengthen federal enforcement of animal cruelty crimes by creating a dedicated section within the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. Recognizing the strong link between animal cruelty and crimes such as domestic violence, child abuse, and drug trafficking, the bill directs this new section to coordinate with appropriate agencies, including the USDA, FBI, and U.S. Marshals. It also requires annual reports to Congress on investigations, charges, and convictions related to animal cruelty. By improving enforcement, this legislation would both strengthen public safety and better protect animals.

Wildlife

H.R.4422 — Don’t Feed the Bears Act of 2025
Bear baiting involves luring bears to a specific spot with piles of human food waste — such as doughnuts, meat scraps, and grease — and shooting them while they feed. This unsporting and dangerous practice violates the principles of fair chase, contradicts federal guidelines against feeding bears, increases the risk of human-wildlife conflicts, and artificially boosts bear populations, undermining population control efforts. This legislation would require federal land management agencies to adopt and enforce regulations prohibiting intentional feeding of bears on federal public lands. The National Park Service has already prohibited the practice on over twenty million acres of national preserves in Alaska, and twenty states, including New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Montana, Oregon, California, have explicitly banned bear baiting. Only twelve states allow the practice. (The remaining eighteen do not allow bear hunting at all.) This bill would reduce human-wildlife conflicts and promote responsible wildlife management.

S.1947 — OCTOPUS Act of 2025
The OCTOPUS Act (Opposing the Cultivation and Trade of Octopus Produced through Unethical Strategies) would ban commercial octopus farming in the U.S. and prohibit imports of farmed octopus from other countries. Similar laws have passed in Washington State and have been introduced in Hawaii and California. Octopuses are highly intelligent, sentient animals capable of experiencing pain, pleasure, and distress. They require complex, stimulating environments and are naturally solitary and territorial. On commercial farms, they would be confined to small, crowded pools, leading to stress, injury, cannibalism, and high mortality. Common slaughter methods include freezing, slicing, or clubbing. While no commercial octopus farms currently operate, a facility in Spain is expected to begin construction soon and would produce 3,000 tons of octopus meat annually, requiring the slaughter of around one million octopuses.

H.R.3199/S.1594 — Captive Primate Safety Act of 2025
This legislation would ban the sale, breeding, and private possession of primates. Keeping nonhuman primates as “pets” is inherently cruel. These wild animals are highly intelligent and social, with complex psychological and physical needs that are impossible to meet in a home setting. Private ownership of nonhuman primates also poses serious safety risks, as these are wild animals and can be unpredictable and aggressive. Over the last three decades, at least 300 people have been injured by nonhuman primates held in private homes and facilities. This bill would crack down on the cruel nonhuman primate pet trade, helping to protect both animal welfare and public safety.

Animals Used in Science

H.R.1085/S.1802 — CARGO (Cease Animal Research Grants Overseas) Act of 2025 
This bipartisan legislation would prohibit the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from awarding taxpayer-funded financial support to overseas research that uses live animals. Between 2011 and 2021, NIH gave $2.2 in billion taxpayer dollars to foreign laboratories for animal experimentation and conducts no oversight or investigations into the laboratories receiving their grants.

Bills We Oppose

S.1326 — Food Security and Farm Protection Act 
This legislation (formerly known as the EATS Act) would strip states of the ability to enforce their own farm animal welfare and agricultural laws, under the pretense of maintaining a uniform national market for livestock products. Effectively, it would override state laws like Massachusetts’ 2016 Act to Prevent Cruelty to Farm Animals, which bans the sale of products from egg-laying hens, mother pigs, and veal calves that are raised in extreme confinement. By essentially repealing such laws, the bill undermines the will of voters and limits states’ ability to uphold their citizens’ values, support improved animal welfare, and protect public health from the known zoonotic diseases associated with intensive farming practices.

 

updated 9/24/2025