I
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 659
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 24, 2007
Mr. Rogers of Alabama (for himself, Mr. Carney, Mr. King of New York, and Mr. Thompson of Mississippi) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security
A BILL
To improve the programs of the Department of Homeland Security relating to trained detection canines, and for other purposes.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the Canine
Detection Team Improvement Act of 2007
.
Canine Detection Team Improvement
In general
The Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended—
by redesignating the second title XVIII as title XIX; and
by adding at the end the following:
Miscellaneous provisions
Canine detection teams
Coordination and enhancement of canine detection team training
The Secretary shall—
fully coordinate the canine training programs of the Department, including the research and development of new canine training methods, including the optimum number and type of training aids and research on all measurements for efficiency and effectiveness; and
ensure that the Department is maximizing its use of existing training facilities and resources to train canines throughout the year.
Canine procurement
The Secretary shall—
make it a priority to increase the number of domestically bred canines used by the Department to assist in its counter-terrorism mission, including the protection of ports of entry and along the United States border;
increase the utilization of domestically bred canines from universities and private and nonprofit sources in the United States; and
consult with other Federal, State, and local agencies, nonprofit organizations, universities, and private entities that use detection canines, such as those participating in the Scientific Working Group on Dog and Orthogonal Detector Guidelines (popularly known as ‘SWGDOG’), as well as the Office of Management and Budget, to encourage domestic breeding of canines and consolidate canine procurement, where possible, across the Federal Government to reduce the cost of purchasing canines.
Domestic canine breeding grant program
Establishment of program
The Secretary shall establish a competitive grant program for domestic breeders of canines. The purpose of the grant program shall be to encourage the development and growth of targeted breeding programs that are best suited for breeding canines for detection purposes within the United States.
Authorization of appropriations
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012.
Homeland Security Canine Detection Accreditation Board
Establishment of Accreditation Board
In general
Not later than 180 days after the date on which the national voluntary consensus standards referred to in subsection (b)(1) are issued, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, and the Attorney General, shall establish a Homeland Security Canine Detection Accreditation Board to develop and implement a process for certifying compliance with such standards.
Membership
The membership of the Accreditation Board shall consist of experts in the fields of canine training and explosives detection from Federal and State agencies, universities, other research institutions, and the private sector, such as those represented on the Executive Board of SWGDOG.
Accreditation process
The Accreditation Board shall establish and implement a voluntary accreditation process to—
certify that persons conducting certification of canine detection teams appropriately ensure that the canine detection teams meet the national voluntary consensus standards for canines, handlers, and trainers developed by SWGDOG;
ensure that canine detection teams do not put public safety and the safety of law enforcement personnel at risk due to fraud or weaknesses in the initial or maintenance training curriculum; and
maintain and update a public list of entities accredited by the Department to certify canine detection teams.
Compliance with standards
Beginning not later than the date that is 180 days after the date on which the standards referred to in subsection (b)(1) are issued, the Secretary shall require that grant funds administered by the Department may not be used to acquire a canine detection team unless—
the canine detection team is certified under the process established under subsection (b); or
the Secretary determines that the applicant has shown special circumstances that justify the acquisition of canines that are not certified under the process established under subsection (b).
Definitions
In this subtitle:
Canine detection team
The term canine detection team
means a canine
and a canine handler.
Certifying entity
The term
certifying entity
means an entity that oversees the processes
and procedures used to train and test canine detection teams.
SWGDOG
The
term SWGDOG
means the Scientific Working Group on Dog and
Orthogonal Detector
Guidelines.
.
Clerical amendment
The table of sections in section 1(b) of such Act is amended by striking the items relating to the second title XVIII and adding at the end the following:
Title XIX—Domestic Nuclear Detection Office
Sec. 1901. Domestic Nuclear Detection Office.
Sec. 1902. Mission of Office.
Sec. 1903. Hiring authority.
Sec. 1904. Testing authority.
Sec. 1905. Relationship to other Department entities and Federal agencies.
Sec. 1906. Contracting and grant making authorities.
Title XX—Miscellaneous provisions
Subtitle A—Canine detection teams
Sec. 2001. Coordination and enhancement of canine detection team training.
Sec. 2002. Canine procurement.
Sec. 2003. Domestic canine breeding grant program.
Sec. 2004. Homeland Security Canine Detection Accreditation Board.
Sec. 2005. Definitions.
.
Report
Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall report to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate on the plan of the Secretary to coordinate and consolidate the canine training and related programs of the Department of Homeland Security in accordance with section 2001 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as added by subsection (a).