H.R. 7904

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7904 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7904

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

March 12, 2026

Mr. James 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 2026''.

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.
<all>