SJR 22, as introduced, Block. Cruelty-free cosmetics.
This measure would urge the United States Congress to enact legislation that would establish reasonable deadlines for the prohibition of the testing and marketing of cosmetic products that have been tested on animals. The measure would also urge the federal government to mandate alternative methods to animal testing of cosmetic products and to prioritize the validation and acceptance of additional nonanimal tests.
Fiscal committee: no.
P1 1WHEREAS, For more than 50 years, animals have been used
2in painful tests to assess the safety of certain chemicals used in
3cosmetic products; and
4WHEREAS, Modern alternatives to harmful animal testing are
5increasingly less expensive, faster, and more accurate at predicting
6human reactions; and
7WHEREAS, Mandating and promoting the use of accepted
8alternative methods to animal testing has, and will continue to
9have, a huge positive impact on animal welfare; and
10WHEREAS, Careful evaluation of alternative methods to animal
11tests ensures that their proper use supports the equal or better
12protection of people, animals, and the environment; and
P2 1WHEREAS, In 2000, California became the first state in the
2nation to pass a law restricting the use of animals in product testing
3by making it unlawful to use animals for testing when an
4appropriate, validated, alternative method is available; and
5WHEREAS, Our nation’s largest trading partner, the European
6Union, which accounts for nearly half of the global cosmetics
7market worth an estimated $90 billion a year, prohibits the
8importation and sale of cosmetics that have been tested on animals
9as of March 2013; and
10WHEREAS, Norway, India, Israel, and the state of Sao Paulo,
11Brazil have also banned all animal testing for cosmetics; and
12WHEREAS, Harmonizing international laws that encourage
13modern science and respond to consumer expectations benefits
14businesses and consumers in today’s global market place; and
15WHEREAS, Polls show that the American public
16overwhelmingly supports alternatives to testing cosmetics on
17animals. A recent poll conducted by ORC International, a leading
18global market research firm, found that 72 percent of American
19adults surveyed believe that testing cosmetics on animals is
20unethical; now, therefore, be it
21Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of
22California, jointly, That the Legislature urges the United States
23Congress to enact legislation that would establish reasonable
24deadlines for the prohibition of the testing and marketing of
25cosmetic products that have been tested on animals; and be it
26further
27Resolved, That the Legislature urges the federal government to
28mandate alternative methods to animal testing of cosmetic products,
29whenever those scientifically satisfactory methods are available,
30and to prioritize the validation and acceptance of additional
31nonanimal tests; and be it further
32Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
33this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United
34States, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, to the Speaker of the
35House of Representatives, to each Senator and Representative from
36California in the Congress of the United States, to the Governor
37of California, and to the author for appropriate distribution.
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