H.R. 6950 – Working Dog Health and Welfare Act of 2024

AI-Generated Summary

Updated January 20, 2026 at 1:58 PM UTC

The Working Dog Health and Welfare Act of 2024 requires any federal agency that runs a working‑dog program to follow the Government Accountability Office’s recommendations on dog health and welfare. Agencies, and any contractors they use, must put those recommendations into practice within 180 days of the law’s enactment and report what they did to the relevant congressional committees. The law also directs the State Department to apply the same standards to working dogs given to foreign partners and to ensure new programs start with those standards in place.

Key Provisions

Agencies that manage working‑dog programs must implement the GAO’s health and welfare recommendations within 180 days of the law’s enactment.
Contractors operating working‑dog programs for agencies must also implement the recommendations within the same 180‑day window.
Each agency must submit a report to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the House Oversight and Accountability Committee within 60 days after it has completed the implementation, detailing the steps taken.
The Secretary of State must ensure that any working dogs donated to foreign partners are handled according to the GAO recommendations.
Any new federal working‑dog program, whether created directly by an agency or through a contract, must incorporate the GAO recommendations from the start.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 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.

Oversight and Government Reform Committee

January 10, 2024

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

January 10, 2024

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 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.

Oversight and Government Reform Committee

January 10, 2024

Floor Debate

3 members

What members said about H.R. 6950 on the floor

2 Republicans1 Democrat

Rep. Jamie RaskinD-MD-8 · Dec 16, 2024

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Working Dog Health and Welfare Act, S. 2414, requires agencies that manage working dog programs to implement recommendations…

Rep. Rudy Yakym IIIR-IN-2 · Dec 16, 2024

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 2414, the Working Dog Health and Welfare Act. I was happy to work with Senator Braun and be the sponsor of the bipartisan House companion bill, H.R. 6950.…

Rep. Eric BurlisonR-MO-7 · Dec 16, 2024

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2414) to require agencies with working dog programs to implement the recommendations of the Government Accountability Office relating to…

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued January 10, 2024

I

118th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 6950

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 10, 2024

Mr. Yakym (for himself and Ms. Titus) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 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 agencies with working dog programs to implement the recommendations of the Government Accountability Office relating to the health and welfare of working dogs, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Working Dog Health and Welfare Act of 2024.

2.

Implementation of working dog recommendations

(a)

Definitions

In this section:

(1)

Agency

(A)

In general

The term agency has the meaning given the term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code.

(B)

Inclusions

Notwithstanding subparagraphs (A) through (D) of section 551(1) of title 5, United States Code, the term agency includes—

(i)

the Congress;

(ii)

the courts of the United States;

(iii)

the governments of the territories or possessions of the United States; and

(iv)

the government of the District of Columbia.

(2)

Working dog

The term working dog means a dog that has received specialized training in order to perform a particular productive function.

(3)

Working dog program

The term working dog program means a program, the operations of which include the employment of working dogs.

(4)

Working dog recommendations

The term working dog recommendations means the recommendations included in the report of the Government Accountability Office entitled Working Dogs: Federal Agencies Need to Better Address Health and Welfare, as published in October 2022.

(b)

Implementation

(1)

In general

Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the head of each agency that manages a working dog program shall implement the working dog recommendations.

(2)

Contractors

Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, a contractor that manages a working dog program on behalf of an agency shall implement the working dog recommendations.

(3)

Report

Not later than 60 days after the date on which the head of an agency or a contractor that manages a working dog program on behalf of a covered agency implements working dog recommendations under this subsection, the head of the agency shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability of the House of Representatives a report on the explicit steps the agency or contractor has taken to complete the implementation.

(c)

Foreign partners

Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall take appropriate steps to ensure that donations of working dogs provided to foreign partners by the Department of State are executed and monitored according to the working dog recommendations.

(d)

New working dog programs

With respect to an agency that establishes a working dog program, or enters into a contract for the establishment of a working dog program, after the date of enactment of this Act, the head of the agency shall ensure that the working dog program implements the working dog recommendations.