{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://royce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398222", "California representatives want more information on government animal testing", "2016-12-13", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "CA", "Edward Royce", "R000487", "royce.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Federal agencies don\u2019t do enough to track and justify their use of live animals for research, several members of Congress wrote in a letter asking the U.S. Government Accountability Office to examine the issue.\r\nRep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona) and Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) led the letter, which also was backed by Reps. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Downey), Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) and Mimi Walters (R-Irvine) and eight other House members.\r\n\u201cWe have discovered it is impossible to determine what federal animal research programs currently entail, what they cost and if they meet federal standards because of the limited and decentralized information available publicly. Federal agencies are not currently required to publicly report their total use of animals in research, do not publish noncompliance reports and generally do not maintain searchable databases of animal research projects with information about their purpose, methods, results, and cost,\u201d the letter says.\r\nCalvert said without the reporting, it is difficult for Congress to tell whether\u00a0the research is effective and where there\u00a0may be redundancies.\r\n\u201cI\u2019m not opposed to the rare testing of animals when it\u2019s absolutely necessary,\u201d Calvert said. But, \u201cmost people in America who are asked would say, \u2018No, let\u2019s not harm animals unnecessarily if there are other methods.\u2019\u00a0\u201d\r\nThe representatives also are asking\u00a0the government oversight agency to look at which federal agencies conduct animal research and testing and how each agency informs Congress and the public about the costs, type of research and outcomes of the testing. They also want the office to look at how agencies report problems with testing and report their efforts to develop alternatives to animal testing.\r\nIn addition, representatives are asking\u00a0for data on how much money each agency spent on animal testing and how many animals were used in testing in fiscal year 2016.\r\n\u201cOne, I like animals, but two, I don\u2019t like waste,\u201d Calvert said. \u201cIn the end, this is going to save a lot of money, and obviously it\u2019s going to increase the welfare for many [animals].\u201d\r\nCalifornia\u2019s members of Congress made a similar appeal earlier this year for information on the\u00a0military\u2019s use of animals for medical training\u00a0instead of simulated human flesh.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://royce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398222"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.1365918908268213, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}