[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8571 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8571
To require the Attorney General to establish a grant program to assist
with the medical expenses of qualified working dogs, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 24, 2024
Mr. James (for himself and Ms. Wild) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition
to the Committees on Armed Services, and Veterans' Affairs, for a
period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Attorney General to establish a grant program to assist
with the medical expenses of qualified working dogs, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting America's Working Dogs
Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The Department of Defense utilizes approximately 1,600
military working dogs to protect our nation and keep United
States military personnel out of harm's way.
(2) Military working dogs have played an integral role in
the success of numerous operations and missions, including the
raids which resulted in the deaths of Osama bin Laden, the
founder of al-Qaeda, and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of
ISIS.
(3) Working dogs play a critical role in assisting our
Armed Forces and Federal and local law enforcement in
protecting Americans and defending freedom at home and abroad.
(4) Within the Federal Government, working dogs assist the
U.S. Capitol Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
and Explosives, the Transportation Security Administration, the
Department of Defense, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and
the Federal Bureau of Investigation, amongst other Federal
departments and agencies.
(5) Almost all working dogs work in tandem with our Armed
Forces and law enforcement officers until they are no longer
medically able, at which point they are medically separated.
(6) The future of retired working dogs with respect to
ownership and provision of medical services is often unclear
after the working dog is retired.
(7) The medical treatment required by many former working
dogs is significant enough that it creates a hardship for the
individuals, often former partners, who take in these canine
heroes and become responsible for their medical costs.
SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM TO FUND COVERED MEDICAL EXPENSES FOR QUALIFIED
WORKING DOGS.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 1 fiscal year after the date of
enactment of this Act, and each fiscal year thereafter for 4 fiscal
years, the Attorney General shall carry out a program under which the
Attorney General may award grants, each in amounts not to exceed
$575,000, to eligible nonprofit organizations to assist with the
covered medical expenses of qualified working dogs.
(b) Eligibility.--A nonprofit organization is eligible to receive a
grant under this section if the organization--
(1) primarily exists to care for qualified working dogs;
(2) provides medically related financial assistance to
owners of qualified working dogs;
(3) allocates not less than 70 percent of its spending
towards program expenses directly related to assisting with the
covered medical expenses of qualified working dogs; and
(4) separately states the veterinary expenses of such
organization on the Internal Revenue Service Form 990 filed by
such organization with the Internal Revenue Service.
(c) Application.--To receive a grant under this section, a
nonprofit organization shall submit to the Attorney General an
application at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the Attorney General may require, including information
that demonstrates that the nonprofit organization meets the eligibility
requirements under subsection (b).
(d) Use of Funds.--A recipient of a grant under this section shall
use such grant to pay for covered medical expenses of qualified working
dogs.
(e) Grant Amount Reduction.--A grant amount awarded to an eligible
nonprofit organization for a fiscal year pursuant to this section shall
be reduced by an amount equal to the total amount of unexpended grant
funds awarded under this section in previous fiscal years.
(f) Report.--The Attorney General shall submit to Congress a report
that details--
(1) the number of qualified working dogs assisted pursuant
to a grant awarded under this section; and
(2) the average medical expenses for each qualified working
dog assisted pursuant to a grant awarded under this section.
(g) Definitions.--In this Act--
(1) the term ``covered medical expenses'' means any
expenses related to medical treatment and care of qualified
working dogs, including veterinarian office visits, medical
procedures, diagnostic tests, and medications or medically
necessary supplements;
(2) the term ``qualified working dog'' means--
(A) a retired dog that worked for the Federal
Government, including the Armed Forces, to carry out
military, security, or law enforcement activity; and
(B) a service dog that works for an individual who
is a veteran or a retired Federal law enforcement
officer; and
(3) the term ``veteran'' has the meaning given the term in
section 101 of title 38, United States Code.
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