Rep. Juan Ciscomani Advocates for NIH Change to Support Americans with Disabilities

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Juan Ciscomani has successfully led the effort to change federal guidance limiting the ability of individuals with disabilities to bring their service dogs into laboratory settings at universities and other research facilities.

"After meeting with a constituent and working closely together on this issue, it became clear that individuals who rely on service dogs to study or work in laboratories should not face discrimination because of their disabilities," said Ciscomani. "Whether due to a lifelong condition or a newly acquired need, no one should be forced to put their career on hold because of unclear or overly restrictive guidance. This commonsense change helps expand access and opportunity in the scientific field."

This longstanding language has had real consequences for many Americans working in the sciences, preventing extremely qualified and capable individuals from fully participating in scientific work and, in some cases, costing them their jobs. This much-needed change was brought to his attention by his constituent, Joey Ramp-Adams of Tombstone, who is assisted by her faithful service dog Sampson and who has championed efforts nationally on behalf of those with disabilities.

Since 2024, Rep. Ciscomani has advocated for these individuals, working to ensure they are not categorically excluded from the STEM field or research environments due to outdated or misinterpreted CDC and NIH guidance. Following his letter and close communication with these agencies, there is now clearer recognition that service animals may be permitted in laboratory settings based on individualized risk assessments.

Congressman Ciscomani has urged the CDC to further update its Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) guidance to state: "Animals and plants not associated with the work being performed are not permitted in the laboratory; service dogs may be an exception based on an individualized risk assessment."

Importantly, the updated guidance affirms that service animals are protected disability accommodations and that access decisions should be guided by individualized risk assessments, not misinterpretations of prior language. It also reinforces that this guidance is not regulatory and must be applied in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

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