Res No. 636
Resolution calling on the New York State Legislature to introduce and pass, and the Governor to sign, legislation to prohibit the provision of state funds and tax benefits to any entity that engages in animal testing, the breeding of animals for the purposes of animal testing, or the transportation of animals for the purposes of animal testing
By Council Members Paladino, Ariola, Morano, Aldebol, Louis and Wong
Whereas, According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), somewhere between 10 million and 110 million animals are used in taxpayer-funded research nationwide; and
Whereas, According to PCRM, this wide range is due to an estimated 95 percent of animals used in National Institute of Health (NIH)-funded research not being accurately counted or reported because they are not covered under the Animal Welfare Act, leaving the NIH to produce a crude estimate once every four years; and
Whereas, According to Rise for Animals, a national animal rights organization, Marshall BioResources, a company with a facility in North Rose, New York, was documented to be holding 66,421 animals in March 2024, including dogs, ferrets, pigs, and cats; and
Whereas, Marshall BioResources breeds these animals for use in experimentation and research, having sold their animals to various private research companies and federal agencies, including the NIH, the Defense Health Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, according to GovTribe; and
Whereas, According to reporting from WENY News, a local news station, animals bred for research purposes, like the animals from Marshall BioResources, are also often purchased by public universities, many of which receive taxpayer funding; and
Whereas, The City College of New York, part of the City University of New York system, maintains an Animal Care Facility, where animals, including rodents, rabbits, and ferrets, are kept and distributed for teaching and research programs; and
Whereas, According to the New York State Division of the Budget, the Fiscal Year 2027 Executive Budget recommends a total of $6.4 billion in total appropriations be allotted to the City University of New York system; and
Whereas, According to Rise for Animals, a whistle blower claiming to be a former Marshall BioResources employee reported that animals kept by Marshall BioResources face inhumane conditions, with puppies being tattooed at birth and often dying overnight, the metal mesh flooring of their cages causing injury, and feces in their cages not being properly cleaned; and
Whereas, Whistleblower reports, according to Rise for Animals, state that “non-standard animals,” such as puppies with different colored eyes, are considered deformed and unacceptable for sale, and are killed or discarded; and
Whereas, Once killed, the animals are reportedly placed into an on-site incinerator used to easily dispose of the bodies of these animals; and
Whereas, New York State recently banned the sale of cosmetics that were tested on animals in 2022, and the Legislature has considered legislation that would incentivize the use and development of non-animal testing alternatives for pharmaceuticals; and
Whereas, In line with those efforts to protect animals, New York State could prevent state funding, whether from tax revenue, tax benefits, or grant allocations, from being used in the breeding, sale, transport, or testing of animals; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the New York State Legislature to introduce and pass, and the Governor to sign, legislation to prohibit the provision of state funds and tax benefits to any entity that engages in animal testing, the breeding of animals for the purposes of animal testing, or the transportation of animals for the purposes of animal testing.
JN
LS 24930
8/10/2026