LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Backers of Michigan House Bill 4254 – known as Queenie’s Law – crowded into a late-October House Regulatory Reform hearing recently, calling on lawmakers to ban taxpayer-funded experiments at public institutions that inflict pain or distress on dogs.
The bill, introduced by Rep. Joseph Aragona (R-Clinton Township) with many bipartisan co-sponsors, would make it illegal for any state-funded university or agency to use dogs in painful or invasive experiments.
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Named after “Queenie,” a dog that died in a controversial heart failure study at Wayne State University, the bill represents a moral turning point for Michigan’s research ethics. The proposed law would prohibit public bodies from conducting procedures that cause death, injury, fear, or trauma to a dog – including things like surgeries, device implantations, or forced physical exertion – for experimental purposes. Violators could face civil fines of up to $5,000 per dog, per day.
Testimony paints a grim picture.
Testimony on October 23 before the committee was powerful – and painful to hear. Ryan Merkley, Director of Research Advocacy for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), told lawmakers that Wayne State University is “an extreme outlier, not only in Michigan but nationwide.” His organization obtained more than 10,000 pages of public records detailing dogs subjected to repeated open-chest surgeries, implanted heart devices, and forced treadmill exercises until they died. “Since 1991, Wayne State has wasted $15 million in public money and killed more than 300 dogs,” Merkley said.
Witnesses say Wayne State’s decades of dog testing have yielded no results.
Former laboratory veterinarian Dr. Sally Christopher described reviewing the records of “Dog 3003,” a male beagle reportedly confined alone in a basement cage for 18 months and given only a total “190 minutes of play” over four months before enduring three surgeries, culminating in paralysis and euthanasia after the dog had cried out in pain repeatedly. “The pain and suffering by dogs at Wayne State are plain to see in the university’s own records,” she said, calling the experiments “fruitless” for human health.
Wayne State social work student Jackie Myers testified that she was “horrified” to learn her tuition dollars were funding such tests, adding, “More than 30 years of these experiments have produced no advances for human heart health.” Her mother died of heart disease – the same condition Wayne State claims to study. “People suffering from cardiovascular disease need results. These experiments have produced none,” she said.
Johns Hopkins public health expert Dr. Paul Locke testified in favor of the bill saying that it is both “incremental in its approach, and it also will spark innovation” explaining that in closing the dog experimentation door, it will open doors to other methods such as using artificial intelligence (AI) and organs-on-a-chip models (tiny, high-tech devices that mimic the structure and function of human organs). Locke told the lawmakers, “I think it’s gonna pave the way towards a scientific future that better protects public health using far fewer animals.”
Lawmakers skeptical as Wayne State defends dog experiments.
While Wayne State University’s Senior Director of the Division of Lab Animal Resources, Veterinarian, Dr. Michael Bradley, defended the program as “humane” and productive, he faced sharp questioning from legislators after admitting the school has received decades of NIH funding for their experiments. He insisted the dogs were not “forced” but “encouraged” on treadmills with positive reinforcement – a claim met with audible disbelief from committee members.
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Bradley said that the work at Wayne State has been misrepresented and noted, “Contrary to recent claims, our research has produced meaningful, peer reviewed results.” He added that the bill would be “overly restricted and that its passage would prevent impact” for their work to be completed to benefit humans and dogs alike.
In answering questions, Bradley said that yes, he was comfortable with level of pain the dogs endure.
Hollywood and science unite to push toward humane research.
The hearing followed a media push from high-profile Wayne State alumni Lily Tomlin and Ernie Hudson, who appeared in a TV ad urging passage of Queenie’s Law and calling the university’s experiments “extreme.” The spot underscored mounting public-pressure tactics aimed at moving skeptical lawmakers to the side of protecting dogs ahead of any committee vote.
The tide turns toward humane science.
If passed, Queenie’s Law would make Michigan the latest state to take a stand against what many consider outdated and inhumane animal research practices – following a national shift that pairs ethical responsibility with scientific progress.
Chair Aragona said that the clerk had “received a giant stack of support for this bill all across the state.” Supporters of the bill include many individuals, FMAR (Friends of Michigan Animals Rescue) Board of Directors, Attorneys for Animals, Kent County Animal Shelter, State Bar of Michigan (Animal Law Section), Streethearts Animal Rescue, Detroit Animal Welfare Group, Michigan Animal Rescue League, Veterinary Technician Kseniya Wickson (Clinton Twp), Animal Legal Defense Fund, Second Chances Animal Resources, MichBio, Ingham Co. Animal Control and Shelter and many other animal rescue groups.
Universities and veterinary association push back on Queenie’s Law.
According to Aragona, opposition to the bill includes Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, who chose not to have anyone speak at the hearing. The Michigan Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA) also opposes the bill. They submitted a letter opposing the definition of “experimental purposes” in the bill saying the broad definition would “significantly negatively impact anyone working in the uniformed services or in education, including state and local police, state agencies and the colleges, universities and high schools that are teaching tomorrow’s vet techs and veterinarians.”
As lawmakers weigh the testimony, Michigan stands at a crossroads between legacy and innovation – choosing whether to cling to decades-old research practices that rely on animal suffering, or to lead the nation in pioneering humane, technology-driven science that advances health without cruelty.
