Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my good friend and colleague on the International Relations Committee from Kentucky (Mr. Chandler). I want to thank Mr. Shuster for his extraordinarily gracious gesture. I also want to express my appreciation to Chairman Young and Ranking Member Oberstar of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the ranking member on that subcommittee, Eleanor Holmes Norton.

I particularly want to thank my dear friend and colleague of many years, Chris Shays, for again joining with me in sponsoring a significant and major humane piece of legislation. But my most sincere thanks go to my wife, Annette, who has been my guiding light on all humane pieces of legislation I have had the privilege of working on.

Mr. Speaker, the work of my colleagues, along with the Herculean efforts of all the animal welfare organizations, will ensure not only the safety of household pets and service animals but of their owners in moments of potential fatal danger. Families will be able to prepare and evacuate from a disaster with more confidence and security knowing that all of their family members and their pets will be secure.

Mr. Speaker, the devastation in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama brought unbelievable images into every American home night after night.

The loss of life and property was staggering. But on top of all of that, the sight of evacuees having to choose between being rescued or remaining with their pets, perhaps even having to leave behind their service animals they rely on every day, was just heartbreaking.

I was watching television one night, Mr. Speaker, and I saw a 7-year- old little boy with his dog. His family lost everything, and all they had left was their dog. And since legislation such as ours was not yet on the statute books, the dog was taken away from this little boy. To watch his face was a singularly revealing and tragic experience.

This legislation was born that moment. Many pieces of legislation we pass in this body are the result of months and years of study and research and preparation. Not this bill. This bill was born the moment the 7-year-old little fellow had to give up his dog because there was no provision to provide shelter for his pet.

The Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act will put an end to all of this. Until today, accommodating families with pets or disabled citizens with service animals was never considered an essential part of any evacuation plan. Our PETS Act requires State and local emergency preparedness authorities to include in their evacuation plans provisions to accommodate pets or service animals in case of a disaster.

The lack of planning in the past interfered with disaster operations in New Orleans where people who were worried about losing their animal companions often refused rescuers' help. If evacuees know that their pets, who obviously are considered members of their family, are in good hands, they will be willing to cooperate with authorities.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, Mr. Speaker, there are 65 million dogs and 77 million cats owned as pets by American families. Thousands of visually impaired people depend on guide dogs to get around. These faithful pet owners and visually impaired citizens must be able to evacuate if in the path of harm, and they must know that all members of their family will be safe.

Since the gulf coast hurricanes, this Nation has endured other weather events. In many cases, local authorities made impromptu plans for people with pets or service animals. This demonstrates that authorities are capable of making effective plans for people with pets and service animals. But we cannot let the lessons learned from the gulf coast hurricanes be forgotten. Our PETS Act will ensure that years from now States will continue to plan for their pet and service animal populations. This will ensure a smooth and safe evacuation for all members of the family and their pets and service animals.

I strongly urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this potentially life-saving legislation, life-saving with respect to the animals we love, and life-saving with respect to members of our families.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Shuster, Mr. Chandler, Mr. Young and Mr. Oberstar. I wanted to defer my opportunity to go before Mr. Lantos because it needs to be clear this began in the heart and mind of Mr. Lantos' wife, and we are merely instruments of her goodness.

I rise, in support of H.R. 3858, the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act, which we do refer to as the PETS Act, which Congressman Lantos and I, as co-chairmen of the Friends of Animals Caucus, introduced.

This commonsense bill requires State and local preparedness planners to include plans for evacuation of pet owners, pets and service animals, as has already been described by previous speakers.

Hurricane Katrina left so many victims in its wake, including an estimated 600,000 animals that either lost their lives or were left without shelter. Hurricane Katrina taught us the hard lesson that, as we prepare for future emergencies, it is important we incorporate pet owners and their pets in our plans.

Many pet owners had to choose between their safety and the safety of their pets, and anyone who owns a pet understands the difficult decisions that they had to make.

In order to qualify for Federal Emergency Management Agency funding, a jurisdiction is required to submit a plan detailing their disaster preparedness plan. The PETS Act would simply require State and local emergency preparedness authorities to plan for how they would accommodate household pets and service animals when presenting these plans to FEMA. Animals do not go before people, but animals will have a place in this plan.

The human horror and devastation in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama was a tragedy we are addressing, but it was also heartbreaking to hear stories of forcing evacuees to choose between being rescued or remaining with their pets.

This bipartisan legislation is necessary because when asked to choose between abandoning their pets or their personal safety, many pet owners chose to risk their lives and would continue today to risk their lives and remain with their pets. The plight of the animals left behind was truly tragic. This is not just an animal protection issue; this is a public safety issue. Roughly two-thirds of American households own pets. We need to ensure the pets and their pet owners are protected.

I urge my colleagues to support passage of this legislation. I, too, want to make reference to that young man; I guess he was around 7 years old. I think of him and think this young man may have lost his home, he may have lost everything he owned, but he had his pet. As long as he had his pet, he could deal with it. To see this pet being grabbed from him, to me it was the height of cruelty that I still have a hard time understanding and appreciating.

When my mom and dad moved when I was 8 or 9 years old to another place, our pet dog, Mack, kept running back to the original house, and we lost him. For 2 years, I didn't have a pet, but I grew up with a pet. Then we moved to a new home and my parents could afford nothing else. They told me no Christmas presents. There would be no Christmas presents. My Christmas present was a new home, a brand new room, and I dealt with that. I thought, this year, no Christmas presents.

They were gone Christmas Eve day, and they came home that night. They didn't tell me where they had been, which was very unusual. I was with my three older brothers. Then my parents asked me to come down into the garage. As I did, they were walking up holding a beautiful collie pup. That night I slept on the floor with Lance, my collie pup.

I will never forget the joy I had. It was the best Christmas I ever had, and it was just one little gift, a pet that remained in our household for years.

This is an important bill, and I urge its passage.

I want to thank my friend Congressman Oberstar for yielding. I want to thank Chairman Young of Alaska and Congressman Oberstar for their stewardship of this important piece of legislation that my friend Congressman Chris Shays and I introduced, and we are thrilled and delighted that we have reached this day, and hopefully it will pass.

I also would like to congratulate our colleagues in the Senate, Senators Stevens of Alaska and Lautenberg of New Jersey, for leading the fight to pass the PETS Act by a unanimous vote. In my own office, three young and committed men worked hard on this legislation, Ron Grimes, Jason Rosenstock, and Guido Zucconi, and I want to express my appreciation to them. But primarily I want to thank my wife, Annette, who, over a long lifetime together, taught me the love of animals.

Mr. Speaker, if I may, I would like to call special attention to three doggies in our office, Masko, Chippy, and Cassie, who bring a civilized tone, joy, fun, pleasure, and wit to our congressional office. Their work, along with the tireless efforts of animal welfare organizations, will ensure the safety of household pets and service animals and their owners as well.

Mr. Speaker, before the images of the gulf coast hurricanes of last year begin to fade from our national memory, it is imperative that we help our citizens prepare for the next disaster. Our legislation, the PETS Act, will ensure that families and people with disabilities will never be forced to choose between being rescued or remaining with their pets or service animals.

The scene from New Orleans of a 9-year-old little boy crying because he was not allowed to take his little white dog Snowball was too much to bear. Personally, I know I wouldn't have been able to leave my little white dog Masko to a fate of almost certain death.

As I watched the images of the heartbreaking choices the gulf residents had to make, I was moved to find a way to prevent this from ever happening again. Requiring local and State emergency planners to take into consideration the needs of evacuees with household pets and people with disabilities who have service animals is a simple

and effective way to ensure saving as many human lives as possible. If people can leave their homes knowing that all members of their family, including their pets, will be safe, it will make for a more civilized and more efficient evacuation.

That is the reason why, along with my colleagues, Mr. Shays, Mr. Young, Mr. Oberstar, and Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, I introduced the Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act, which we call the PETS Act. Never before in my long congressional career have I received so much support and encouragement for a piece of legislation, Mr. Speaker, not only from citizens in my own district, but from a national audience that shares my concerns for the safety of these animals and their owners.

Since the hurricanes of last year, the PETS Act has influenced State officials to make plans for people with pets and service animals. Miami-Dade and Broward Counties in Florida have shelters that accept animals, as well as careful instructions for people forced to leave their homes who may have animals. This demonstrates that emergency planners are more than capable of making effective plans for people with pets or service animals.

Now, more than ever, with hurricane season upon us, this bill is of the utmost importance. The PETS Act will ensure that States will continue to plan for their pet and service animal populations, which will in turn ensure a smoother and safer evacuation for all members of the family.

On behalf of the tens of millions of families across our Nation who have pets, I urge all of my colleagues to vote for this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 3858) to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to ensure that State and local emergency preparedness operational plans address the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals following a major disaster or emergency.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield to the gentleman from Connecticut, who is the prime mover on H.R. 3858, Mr. Shays.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I am pleased to be here today to pass an important reform to our emergency management system. Like many Americans, I watched in disbelief last year as our government struggled to respond to the death and destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina. I believe we were all shocked by FEMA's performance, given FEMA's outstanding reputation just a few years earlier.

Breaking FEMA up and burying its pieces within the massive Homeland Security bureaucracy was a mistake, I believe. Since Hurricane Katrina, the Transportation Committee, the Select Committee on Hurricane Katrina, held dozens of hearings on Katrina and drafted the most comprehensive report on reforming our emergency management system.

Just a few days ago the chairman of the authorizing committees, Chairman Young, Chairman Davis, Chairman King, Chairman Reichert and I reached an agreement with the Senate authorizers to rebuild FEMA and reform the Nation's emergency management system. With the leadership, authority and resources necessary to respond effectively to the next disaster, FEMA can once again be a premier agency within the Federal Government.

I am pleased to have one of these specific reforms on the floor today, H.R. 3858, the PETS Act, that ensures the needs of people with household pets and service animals are considered by State and local emergency preparedness plans.

The Senate amended the PETS Act to permit FEMA to fund structures that will accommodate pets and service animals and provide essential assistance to people with pets and service animals following a disaster.

People become very attached to their pets. I have a Wheaton terrier that has become part of the family, and it would be very difficult to leave Chloe behind in a disaster. I certainly can understand and empathize with those folks who have household pets.

I would like to thank Chairman Young, who is an original sponsor of this legislation for his leadership and guidance on the bill, and on the broader emergency management reform bill that will be on the floor, we hope, next week.

I would also like to commend Mr. Shays for his dedication and hard work in moving this legislation. Mr. Shays has been a champion of this issue and has worked to ensure that owners don't have to make a choice between their personal safety and their pet's safety.

I would also like to commend Mr. Shays for his leadership on the committee's investigating response to Hurricane Katrina. He worked tirelessly to resolve the flaws in our Nation's emergency management system that became apparent during Hurricane Katrina.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

That is my understanding, yes, sir.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

I will close very quickly because I am in danger of being labeled as a big softy if I give too much in the way of closing comments. I will close by just asking all of my colleagues to support this piece of legislation which is important to millions and millions of Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania. I would like to just amend the gentleman's comment by saying there are two prime movers, Mr. Lantos and myself, and I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this legislation.

I rise in support of H.R. 3858, the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Act, referred to as the PETS Act, which Congressman Lantos and I both as cochairmen of the Friends of Animal Caucus introduced.

This commonsense bill requires State and local preparedness planners to include plans for evacuation of pet owners, pets, and service animals. Having passed this legislation once in the House, we now have an opportunity to include several important provisions that have been included by the Senate strengthening the bill, and then being able to send it directly to the President. These provisions include granting FEMA the authority to assist in developing evacuation plans, and authorizing financial help to States to create emergency shelters for people with their animals. Hurricane Katrina left so many victims in its wake, including up to 600,000 animals that lost their lives or were left without shelter.

To qualify for Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, funding, a jurisdiction is required to submit a plan detailing their disaster preparedness plan. The PETS Act would simply require State and local emergency preparedness authorities to plan for how they will accommodate households with pets or service animals when presenting these plans to FEMA.

This bipartisan legislation is necessary because it became evident during Hurricane Katrina, when asked to choose between abandoning their pets or their own personal safety, many pet owners chose to risk their lives and remain with their pets, and some of them perished. This is first a public safety issue, but also an animal welfare issue. Roughly two-thirds of American households own pets. We need to ensure owners and their pets are protected.

The human horror and devastation in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama was a failure we needed to immediately address, but it was also heartbreaking to hear stories of forced evacuees to choose between being rescued or remaining with their pets. The plight of the animals left behind was truly tragic.

In the middle of hurricane season, it is imperative that regulations to include pets in evacuation plans be placed in anticipation of future tragedies.

This is an important bill. I urge its passage so that we can send it directly to the President.

Again, I want to thank the chairman for bringing this bill out and marshaling this bill both times we have been before the Chamber. And I also want to thank my colleague, my cochairman, Mr. Lantos for all that he has done. He is a pleasure to work with.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much. I wanted to rise and thank Chairman Shuster for marshaling this bill through and making sure that Members treated it with seriousness.

I thank the ranking member of the full Transportation Committee, Mr. Oberstar, for his partnership in this effort.

I also thank Congressman Lantos. We have been through many battles together, and this has been one of the most enjoyable ones.

I also wanted to stand up and acknowledge the fine work of Senator Collins and the ranking member, Mr. Lieberman, in the Senate for their help in getting this bill through. Had they not taken action and treated this bill seriously, we would not be here today. And, frankly, they made it a better bill. I just wanted to thank Senators Collins and my friend Joe Lieberman, who I love very dearly.