Working Dog Health and Welfare Act of 2023

Floor Speech

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Mr. YAKYM. 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.

Over 5,500 working dogs perform various tasks in the 40 programs across the Federal Government. These impressive animals are essential to the daily operations of law enforcement and to our national defense.

They keep us safe by chasing down criminals and by finding deadly narcotics. Famously, a Delta Force working dog named Conan heroically helped neutralize the leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in a raid in Syria back in 2019.

They also help with disaster relief and search and rescue efforts. These hardworking and heroic canines deserve the best care, but a government accountability audit found that none of the 40 working dog programs were satisfactory across all 18 aspects of care.

This legislation is simple. It requires government agencies with working dog programs to implement the GAO's sensible recommendations for health and welfare of these remarkable working dogs that are in their care.

I am very proud to sponsor the House companion bill for this legislation, and I encourage its passage.

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