February 7, 1966
Dear Clarence:
As I promised I would, I am writing you in connection with what happened at the NSMR meeting last Saturday. The most important thing that I presented was the enclosed document which constitutes the specifications for a bill which the NIH
is asking HEW to have introduced as an administration bill in the field of laboratory animal housing and care. You will note that it is approximately the position taken by the Roybal bill, and I am happy to say that the Council, in an informal vote, expressed approval in general as outlined and gave the Board of Directors authorization to commit the Society to support of an administration bill if, when fully drafted, it follows the lines of these specifications,
Since there has been a great deal of discussion within NIH concerning this matter, and since we are sure that the Surgeon General is in favor of this type of legislation,  which you will note does not include, as earlier NIH drafts did, regulations of scientific studies themselves,  I feel sure that a bill will confine itself to housing and care. I am, therefore, very hopeful that the administration will have a bill that we can endorse enthusiastically. These specifications are still somewhat confidential, but Dr. Thomas Kennedy gave me authorization to present them to the Council. We shall, therefore, have to await the final draft, but as I have said above,  we will then have a better bill from many viewpoints than HR 5191.
With best regards, I am
Sincerely,
Maurice B. Visscher
January 20, 1966
Specifications
1. Purpose
To help maintain an adequate supply of healthy laboratory animals to meet the needs of biomedical research by (1) establishing standards for the proper care and
handling of laboratory animals to which Federally funded biomedical research
grantees and contractors would be required to adhere, (2) by authorizing construction grants to assist research institutions in constructing or renovating laboratory animal facilities to meet the prescribed standards, and (3) by authorizing training of animal caretakers, technicians, research workers and others who use or care for laboratory animals
2. Construction grants
Title VII of the Public Health Service Act should be amended to make available, to public or non-profit private agencies and institutions involved in laboratory use of animals, grants on a 75-25 matching basis for the construction of laboratory animal facilities with appropriation authority of $6.5 million for FY 1967, $15 million for FY 1968, $23 million each for FY 1969, FY 1970 and FY 1971. Provisions should also be made, under Title VII, for non-matching grants to expand facilities of the Regional Primate Centers, with appropriation authority for $1 million for FY 1967, $2 million for FY 1968 and $3 million each for FY 1969, FY 1970, and FY 1971.
3. Training Grants
Title VII or Title III should be amended to provide explicit authority for grants and establishment for expansion of programs for the training of caretakers, technicians, research workers, and other professional personnel who use or care for laboratory animals.  It is estimated that the cost of such grants would be $0.5 million for FY 1967, $0.5 million for FY 1968, $1.0 million for FY 1969, $1.250 for  FY 1970, and $1.350 million for FY 1971.
4. Standards for facilities and care
All grants, loans and contracts by agencies of the United States Government for research involving the use of laboratory animals would require that:
a. the applicant's laboratory animal facilities have been accredited by a recognized body or bodies approved for such purposes by the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service,  or
b. If the applicant has not been accredited, the agency finds that the applicant meets standards accepted by the Surgeon General or will meet such standards within a reasonable time.
5. Enforcement
The granting and contracting agencies would have responsibility for assuring compliance with standards and for cutting-off funds where there is a failure to comply.