Federal Working Animal Protection Act
Latest action · Mar 19, 2026 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
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.
- IntroducedJul 23, 2025
- Passed HouseMar 19, 2026
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Bill to Outlaw Wounding of Official Working Animals Act or the BOWOW Act
This bill establishes that a non-U.S. national (alien under federal law) convicted of, or who admits to having committed, an offense related to harming animals used in law enforcement is inadmissible and deportable.
Recorded votes 1
Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.
| Roll call | Question | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House 96 | On Passage | Passed228–190 | Mar 19, 2026 |
Cosponsors 19
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jul 23, 2025 to Nov 19, 2025; 14 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-PA | Brian K. Fitzpatrick | Original | Jul 23, 2025 |
| R-UT | Burgess Owens | Original | Jul 23, 2025 |
| R-NY | Claudia Tenney | Original | Jul 23, 2025 |
| R-WA | Dan Newhouse | Original | Jul 23, 2025 |
| R-FL | Daniel Webster | Original | Jul 23, 2025 |
| R-CA | Darrell Issa | Original | Jul 23, 2025 |
| R-NE | Don Bacon | Original | Jul 23, 2025 |
| R-OH | Michael A. Rulli | Original | Jul 23, 2025 |
| R-NC | Pat Harrigan | Original | Jul 23, 2025 |
| R-TX | Roger Williams | Original | Jul 23, 2025 |
| R-WI | Thomas P. Tiffany | Original | Jul 23, 2025 |
| R-CA | Tom McClintock | Original | Jul 23, 2025 |
| R-FL | Vern Buchanan | Original | Jul 23, 2025 |
| R-FL | W. Gregory Steube | Original | Jul 23, 2025 |
| R-MN | Pete Stauber | Aug 26, 2025 | |
| R-TX | Brandon Gill | Sep 4, 2025 | |
| R-AZ | Elijah Crane | Sep 4, 2025 | |
| R-NY | Nick LaLota | Sep 4, 2025 | |
| R-SC | Nancy Mace | Nov 19, 2025 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Jul 23, 2025Markup Nov 18, 2025Markup Nov 20, 2025Reported Dec 12, 2025 |
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | Referred Mar 19, 2026 |
Actions 16
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 19, 2026Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 228 - 190 (Roll no. 96). (text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR H2600)
- Mar 19, 2026Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 1115. (consideration: CR H2600-2606)
- Mar 19, 2026Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 556, H.R. 1958 and H.R. 4638. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 556, H.R. 1958, and H.R. 4638 under a closed rule. The resolution provides for one hour of general debate and one motion to recommit on each bill.
- Mar 19, 2026DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 4638.
- Mar 19, 2026The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
In the Congressional Record 2
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H2600–H2606Text printed H2600Recorded votes H2605enactCost estimates H2605 | Jamie Raskin D-MD, Ken Calvert R-CA, Pramila Jayapal D-WA, Tom McClintock R-CA | Mar 19, 2026 |
| House | Debate and remarks H2538–H2544Text printed H2538Amendments H2544Recorded votes H2546, H2547consideration (H. Res. 1115), previous question | James P. McGovern D-MA (amendment), Virginia Foxx R-NC | Mar 17, 2026 |
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.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Dec 15, 2025H.R. 4638, Bill to Outlaw Wounding of Official Working Animals Act of 2025As reported by the House Committee on the Judiciary on December 12, 2025
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 171, no. 126, July 23, 2025, page H3647.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R49032 | Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 119th Congress | Report | Jul 14, 2026 |
Amendments 1
Amendments offered to this bill.
| Amendment | Description | Offered by | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| HAmdt 170 | Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 1115, the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on the Judiciary now printed in the bill, modified by the amendment printed in House Report 119-554 is considered as adopted. | Rules Committee | On agreeing to the Rules amendment (A001) Agreed to without objection. |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
Titles 8
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that an alien who has been convicted of harming animals used in law enforcement is inadmissible and deportable, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- BOWOW Act
- Bill to Outlaw Wounding of Official Working Animals Act
- Short Title(s) as Reported to House
- BOWOW Act of 2025
- Bill to Outlaw Wounding of Official Working Animals Act of 2025
- Short Title(s) as Passed House
- Federal Working Animal Protection Act
- Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text
- Federal Working Animal Protection Act
- Official Title from EH (Engrossed in House) bill text
- To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that an alien who has been convicted of harming animals used in law enforcement is inadmissible and deportable, and for other purposes.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Immigration.
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Mar 19, 2026Referred in Senate
- Mar 19, 2026Engrossed in House
- Dec 12, 2025Reported in House
- Jul 23, 2025Introduced 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.
