K–9 Hero Act of 2019

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5081 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5081

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

                           November 14, 2019

Mr. Wright (for himself, Mr. Gaetz, Mr. Pence, Mr. Riggleman, Mr. Weber 
   of Texas, Mr. Carter of Texas, and Mr. Bilirakis) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, 
and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, 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 ``K-9 Hero Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) On October 27, 2019, United States special operations 
        forces carried out a raid, which resulted in the death of ISIS 
        leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
            (2) A military working dog, whose identity is classified, 
        played an integral role in the success of the raid and kept 
        United States military personnel out of harm's way.
            (3) Although injured during the raid, the military working 
        dog is recovering and continues to serve heroically alongside 
        his handler in theater.
            (4) Working dogs, such as the one involved in the Al-
        Baghdadi raid, 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.
            (5) 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.
            (6) 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.
            (7) The future of retired working dogs with respect to 
        ownership and provision of medical services is often unclear 
        and 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.

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 primarily exists to care 
for qualified working dogs and provide medically related financial 
assistance to owners of qualified working dogs.
    (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; and
            (2) the term ``qualified working dog'' means a retired dog 
        that worked for the Federal Government, including the Armed 
        Forces, to carry out military or law enforcement activity.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this Act $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2021 through 2025.
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