Senate Votes to Block Expansion of Lab-Animal Regulations

The U.S. Senate quietly approved a measure in February that would specifically exclude birds and rodents from the protections of the Animal Welfare Act, the chief federal law regulating the use of laboratory animals.

University lobbyists have long fought for such a measure to curb the costs of biomedical research. Mice and rats account for 90 percent of the animals used in laboratory studies.

While college lobbyists celebrated, animal-rights groups expressed bitter

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