The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) requires that every institution involved in activities using vertebrates whether for sale, distribution, breeding, public viewing, research or education convene an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) to oversee the humane treatment of all animals.  Although the AWA does not extend to ectotherms (reptiles and amphibians), mice, rats, or birds, amendments to these policies have already been proposed in the House of Representatives.  Furthermore, use of any vertebrates in research and education without an overseeing IACUC to verify humane treatment and proper care is both socially and legally unsound.

In addition to the USDA and AWA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Public Health Service Grants Program (PHS) require that all institutions seeking federal grant funding to work with vertebrate animals acquire an Animal Welfare Assurance number from the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW). OLAW guidelines state “no activity involving animals may be conducted or supported by the PHS until the institution conducting the activity has provided a written Assurance acceptable to the PHS, setting forth compliance with this policy.”

Hierarchal structure of the Austin College IACUC