PAWS Act of 2021
Latest action · Mar 22, 2021 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedFeb 11, 2021
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers Act of 2021 or the PAWS Act of 2021
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a grant program for the purpose of pairing service dogs with eligible veterans. Organizations that receive grants must provide veterinary health insurance coverage, hardware, and travel expenses for each service dog and veteran participating in the program.
Eligible veterans are those who (1) are enrolled in the VA health care system, (2) have been evaluated and treated for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but remain diagnosed with PTSD, (3) may benefit from a service dog, and (4) agree to successfully complete training provided by an eligible organization. Veterans are required to see a VA health care provider at least once every six months to determine whether the veteran continues to benefit from a service dog.
Eligible organizations are nonprofit organizations that
- provide service dogs to veterans with PTSD,
- meet publicly available standards set forth by the Association of Service Dog Providers for Military Veterans,
- have expertise in the needs of veterans with PTSD,
- agree to cover all costs in excess of the grant amount to guarantee the benefits of the program,
- agree to reaccept or replace a service dog provided to a veteran, and
- submit an application to the VA.
Any improvement in PTSD symptoms as a result of the provision of a service dog shall not affect the veteran's eligibility for any other VA benefits.
The Government Accountability Office must report on the grant program.
Cosponsors 43
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 11, 2021 to Dec 8, 2021; 4 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-FL | Al Lawson, Jr. | Original | Feb 11, 2021 |
| D-NH | Chris Pappas | Original | Feb 11, 2021 |
| R-FL | Michael Waltz | Original | Feb 11, 2021 |
| R-OH | Steve Stivers | Original | Feb 11, 2021 |
| R-UT | Chris Stewart | Mar 2, 2021 | |
| R-CA | David G. Valadao | Mar 2, 2021 | |
| R-WA | Jaime Herrera Beutler | Mar 2, 2021 | |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | Mar 2, 2021 | |
| R-FL | W. Gregory Steube | Mar 2, 2021 | |
| D-NY | Antonio Delgado | Mar 3, 2021 | |
| R-WA | Cathy McMorris Rodgers | Mar 3, 2021 | |
| D-NH | Ann M. Kuster | Mar 8, 2021 | |
| R-FL | Bill Posey | Mar 8, 2021 | |
| D-NJ | Jefferson Van Drew | Mar 8, 2021 | |
| D-GA | Lucy McBath | Mar 8, 2021 | |
| R-IL | Rodney Davis | Mar 8, 2021 | |
| D-OH | Tim Ryan | Mar 8, 2021 | |
| D-WA | Marilyn Strickland | Mar 11, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Ro Khanna | Mar 11, 2021 | |
| D-WA | Rick Larsen | Mar 18, 2021 | |
| R-VA | Robert J. Wittman | Mar 18, 2021 | |
| R-NM | Yvette Herrell | Mar 18, 2021 | |
| R-PA | Brian K. Fitzpatrick | Apr 1, 2021 | |
| R-FL | Maria Elvira Salazar | Apr 1, 2021 | |
| R-FL | Matt Gaetz | Apr 1, 2021 | |
| D-FL | Stephanie N. Murphy | Apr 1, 2021 | |
| D-WA | Suzan K. DelBene | Apr 1, 2021 | |
| R-OH | Troy Balderson | Apr 1, 2021 | |
| R-NY | Andrew R. Garbarino | Apr 15, 2021 | |
| R-FL | Scott Franklin | Apr 15, 2021 | |
| R-TX | Van Taylor | Apr 15, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Alan S. Lowenthal | Apr 19, 2021 | |
| R-TN | Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann | May 11, 2021 | |
| D-WA | Derek Kilmer | May 11, 2021 | |
| R-IN | Greg Pence | May 11, 2021 | |
| R-PR | Jenniffer González-Colón | May 11, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Juan Vargas | May 11, 2021 | |
| R-NY | Nicole Malliotakis | May 11, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Josh Harder | May 14, 2021 | |
| R-NY | Tom Reed | May 14, 2021 | |
| D-NJ | Josh Gottheimer | Sep 17, 2021 | |
| D-VA | Abigail Davis Spanberger | Dec 8, 2021 | |
| D-CO | Jason Crow | Dec 8, 2021 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Feb 11, 2021 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred Mar 22, 2021 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 22, 2021Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Feb 11, 2021Introduced in House
- Feb 11, 2021Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 26, February 11, 2021, page H503.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 3103 | PAWS Act of 2019 | Reintroduction of | Jun 17, 2019 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a grant program under which the Secretary shall make grants to private entities for the provision of service dogs to eligible veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- PAWS Act of 2021
- Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers Act of 2021
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
- Animal protection and human-animal relationships
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Congressional oversight
- Government studies and investigations
- Mammals
- Mental health
- Neurological disorders
- Performance measurement
- Service animals
- Transportation costs
- Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
- Veterans' medical care
- Veterinary medicine and animal diseases
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 11, 2021Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
