Improvements in regulation and policy regarding animal pain and distress are essential to the goal of eliminating pain and distress. The two central agencies involved in this issue are the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) of the National Institutes of Health. The HSUS has been urging the USDA, the primary agency regulating animal research in the United States, to move forward on their July 2000 proposal to adopt a definition of "distress" and to improve the pain and distress categorization system used in the United States. The HSUS has also encouraged OLAW to issue guidelines and policies that will improve animal welfare. Below are examples of our regulatory and policy efforts.