Pennsylvania now has one of the country’s most specific laws on taxpayer-funded animal testing. Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the bipartisan “Beagle Bill” on October 22, two days after it cleared the General Assembly.
What the law does
- Bars state money from paying for the most painful categories of testing on dogs and cats.
- Blocks public funding for surgical devocalization, the procedure that removes a dog’s ability to bark.
- Requires institutions to report how much public money they spend on animal testing.
State Sen. Doug Mastriano introduced the measure. Its nickname comes from the breed most commonly used in laboratory research.
Why beagles
Beagles are small, even-tempered and easy to handle, which is exactly why labs have used them for decades. The 2022 rescue of roughly 4,000 beagles from a Virginia breeding facility put the practice in the national spotlight and sent many of those dogs to homes across New England.
What it means for Massachusetts
Massachusetts has no equivalent reporting requirement. Advocates in Boston have watched the Pennsylvania bill closely, and the reporting piece, which costs the state nothing, is the part most likely to travel.
Sources: WHP CBS 21 via Barkley & Paws Daily Dog Digest, Oct. 23, 2026. Reported and written by the Ecosystem Intelligence Desk.
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