Coatesville, Pa (October 19, 2026) – This week the Pennsylvania Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 381, bipartisan legislation that improves animal cruelty protections for dogs and cats in the Commonwealth.
Affectionately known as the “Beagle Bill,” the milestone legislation calls for ending the sale of cosmetics that have been newly tested on animals, and ensuring healthy pets have a chance for adoption after the experiments are over. It also increases transparency in animal experiments and limits when taxpayer dollars can be used in testing.
The bill was introduced by State Senators Doug Mastriano and Carolyn Comitta. It was inspired by the rescue of thousands of Beagles from Envigo, a Virginia facility that bred them to be sold to laboratories for animal experimentation.
“It’s a good day for dogs, cats, and the people who love them in Pennsylvania, and there are a lot of us. Polling shows that 80 percent of Pennsylvanians support this bill and they made their voices heard in the halls of Harrisburg,” Comitta said. “Animals bring us together, how we treat them reflects our humanity, and the passage of the Beagle Bill reminds us that we have far more in common than what divides us.”
Comitta also thanked all those who helped get the bill across the finish line, especially Humane World for Animals, Humane Pa, and animal shelters, rescues, and SPCAs across the state.
The bill passed on one of the final days of the 2025-26 legislative session.
It will now go to Governor Shapiro’s desk to be signed into law.