The Director of NIH, after consultation with the committee established under subsection (e), shall prepare a plan—

for the National Institutes of Health to conduct or support research into—

(A) methods of biomedical research and experimentation that do not require the use of animals;

(B) methods of such research and experimentation that reduce the number of animals used in such research;

(C) methods of such research and experimentation that produce less pain and distress in such animals; and

(D) methods of such research and experimentation that involve the use of marine life (other than marine mammals);

(2) for establishing the validity and reliability of the methods described in paragraph (1);

(3) for encouraging the acceptance by the scientific community of such methods that have been found to be valid and reliable; and

(4) for training scientists in the use of such methods that have been found to be valid and reliable.

Not later than October 1, 1993, the Director of NIH shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives, and to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate, the plan required in subsection (a) and shall begin implementation of the plan.

The Director of NIH shall periodically review, and as appropriate, make revisions in the plan required under subsection (a). A description of any revision made in the plan shall be included in the first biennial report under section 283 of this title that is submitted after the revision is made.

The Director of NIH shall take such actions as may be appropriate to convey to scientists and others who use animals in biomedical or behavioral research or experimentation information respecting the methods found to be valid and reliable under subsection (a)(2).

The Committee shall be composed of—

(1) The Director of NIH shall establish within the National Institutes of Health a committee to be known as the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Use of Animals in Research (in this subsection referred to as the “Committee”).

(2) The Committee shall provide advice to the Director of NIH on the preparation of the plan required in subsection (a).

The Committee shall be composed of—

(A) the Directors of each of the national research institutes (or the designees of such Directors); and

(B) representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the National Science Foundation, and such additional agencies as the Director of NIH determines to be appropriate, which representatives shall include not less than one veterinarian with expertise in laboratory-animal medicine.

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title IV, § 404C, as added Pub. L. 103–43, title II, § 205(a), June 10, 1993, 107 Stat. 146; amended Pub. L. 112–74, div. F, title II, § 221(d)(2), Dec. 23, 2011, 125 Stat. 1090.)