Bill Summary
This proposed legislation, named the "National Service Animals Memorial Act", aims to establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its surrounding areas to honor and recognize the contributions of service animals and their handlers throughout history. The bill outlines the mission of the National Service Animals Monument Corporation, which is to educate the public about the vital role service animals play in society and the strong bond they share with their handlers. It also highlights the important milestones in the history of service animals, such as the formation of the first guide dog school in 1929 and the adoption of the purple poppy as the international symbol for service animals. The bill emphasizes the diverse tasks performed by service animals, including their work in combat, search and rescue missions, and providing assistance to individuals with disabilities. Additionally, it notes the value of service animals in supporting the mental and emotional well-being of individuals with conditions such as autism and post-traumatic stress disorder. The legislation also includes provisions for the establishment of the commemorative work, which must comply with the standards set by the Commemorative Works Act. It also specifies that federal funds cannot be used for the project and any excess funds will be deposited into a designated account for future memorials. The effective date of this Act will be one day after its enactment.
Possible Impacts
1. The National Service Animals Memorial Act could affect individuals who rely on service animals, such as those with visual impairments, hearing impairments, or mobility issues. This bill could potentially lead to increased recognition and appreciation for the contributions and sacrifices made by service animals and their handlers.
2. The bill could also affect law enforcement and military personnel who work with service animals, as it recognizes the strong bond and sacrifices made between these individuals and their working dogs.
3. Shelter dogs could also be affected by this legislation, as it acknowledges their potential to be trained as service animals and highlights the value and importance of service animals in various sectors, such as healthcare and search and rescue.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3447 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3447
To authorize the National Service Animals Monument Corporation to
establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its
environs, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 7, 2022
Mr. Blumenthal (for himself and Mrs. Blackburn) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the National Service Animals Monument Corporation to
establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its
environs, 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 ``National Service Animals Memorial
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) the mission of the National Service Animals Monument
Corporation is to honor and recognize the broad scope of
service animals, including working animals, through the
establishment of a memorial to educate the public about the
contributions made by service animals and the human-animal bond
between service animals and the handlers of the service
animals, regardless of whether the handler is an individual
with a disability, a law enforcement officer, military
personnel, or any other individual;
(2) in 1929, formalized service animal work began when the
Eustice School in New Jersey established the first guide-dog
school;
(3) the purple poppy is the international symbol for the
service and sacrifice of service animals;
(4) on February 24 of each year, National Service Animals
Day is celebrated in the United States and throughout the
world;
(5) service and working animals, such as dogs, horses,
homing pigeons, donkeys, mules, dolphins, sea lions, and other
animals, have worked alongside and supported humans throughout
history and have created strong human-animal bonds, including
when--
(A) during the Revolutionary War, horses served in
combat carrying soldiers and transporting the wounded
and critical supplies;
(B) during World War I and World War II--
(i) homing pigeons served as critical
messengers with tiny message capsules attached
to the legs of the pigeons that were used to
send communications that saved the lives of
countless soldiers, resulting in many pigeons
becoming the target of enemy fire; and
(ii) donkeys and mules transported food,
supplies, and wounded servicemembers; and
(C) during the war in Afghanistan--
(i) military working dogs safeguarded the
lives of thousands of servicemembers by
clearing areas of improvised explosive devices;
and
(ii) as 1 example, Lucca, a German
Shepherd-Belgian Malinois service dog--
(I) was employed by the United
States Marine Corps for 6 years;
(II) was trained to detect
explosives;
(III) deployed twice to Iraq and
once to Afghanistan;
(IV) supported over 400 missions
without a single human fatality; and
(V) sustained an injury and
amputation in 2012 due to an improvised
explosive device while on patrol in
Afghanistan;
(6) the bonds formed between law enforcement and military
personnel and working dogs are so strong that the personnel and
dogs have willingly risked their lives to save each other;
(7) the tasks that service dogs perform for individuals
with disabilities are essential activities of daily living,
such as--
(A) guiding individuals with visual impairments;
(B) signaling sounds for individuals who are deaf;
(C) retrieving items for individuals with mobility
issues;
(D) alerting the individuals about impending
cardiac episodes or seizures;
(E) turning on lights for the individuals;
(F) providing stability for the individuals while
the individuals are standing; and
(G) pressing elevator and accessibility buttons for
the individuals;
(8) in addition to the help of service animals with
functional tasks and missions, the human-animal bond provides
handlers the ability to--
(A) live independently;
(B) work confidently; and
(C) socialize freely;
(9) shelter dogs can be trained as service animals;
(10) service animals, such as horses and dogs, support--
(A) a variety of health and therapy services,
including for individuals with autism, schizophrenia,
depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder; and
(B) servicemembers and veterans who experience
traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress
disorder;
(11) search and rescue dogs working with civilian or law
enforcement handlers make communities in the United States and
the United States overall safer when assisting with the rescue
of lost children, seniors, and other at-risk individuals,
including in the event of natural or manmade disasters, such as
the support by service animals of--
(A) search and rescue missions after terrorist
attacks, including the Oklahoma City bombing on April
19, 1995, and the terrorist attack on September 11,
2001; and
(B) local search and rescue missions involving lost
children, such as--
(i) the service dog Mercy, a bloodhound
with the Lee County, Florida, Sheriff's
department, who tracked a 12-year-old girl for
more than half a mile through thick woods after
the girl went missing during Tropical Storm
Elsa in July 2021; and
(ii) the service dog Gandalf, trained by
the South Carolina Search and Rescue Dog
Association, who found a 12-year-old boy who
had vanished from a campsite in the Blue Ridge
Mountains in North Carolina in March 2019;
(12) the extraordinary abilities of service animals,
including smell, sensing, hearing, eyesight, and empathy, make
the service animals uniquely capable of helping humans,
including by--
(A) assisting with the identification of illegal
drugs;
(B) detecting an impending seizure;
(C) hearing an individual buried beneath rubble; or
(D) seeing an expensive or vital tool dropped by a
naval diver;
(13) service animals provide well-documented value to human
health, safety, and security; and
(14) the National Service Animals Memorial will represent a
place of pride, introspection, and education to pay tribute to
the contributions and sacrifices made by all service animals
and the handlers of service animals throughout history.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION TO ESTABLISH COMMEMORATIVE WORK.
(a) In General.--The National Service Animals Monument Corporation
(referred to in this section as the ``Corporation'') may establish a
commemorative work on Federal land in the District of Columbia and its
environs to commemorate the heroic deeds and sacrifices of service
animals and handlers of service animals in the United States.
(b) Compliance With Standards for Commemorative Works.--The
establishment of the commemorative work under this section shall be in
accordance with chapter 89 of title 40, United States Code (commonly
known as the ``Commemorative Works Act'').
(c) Prohibition on the Use of Federal Funds.--
(1) In general.--Federal funds may not be used to pay any
expense of the establishment of the commemorative work under
this section.
(2) Responsibility of the national service animals monument
corporation.--The Corporation shall be solely responsible for
the acceptance of contributions for, and the payment of the
expenses of, the establishment of the commemorative work under
this section.
(d) Deposit of Excess Funds.--
(1) In general.--If, on payment of all expenses for the
establishment of the commemorative work under this section
(including the maintenance and preservation amount required by
section 8906(b)(1) of title 40, United States Code), there
remains a balance of funds received for the establishment of
the commemorative work, the Corporation shall transmit the
amount of the balance to the Secretary of the Interior for
deposit in the account provided for in section 8906(b)(3) of
title 40, United States Code.
(2) On expiration of authority.--If, on expiration of the
authority for the commemorative work under section 8903(e) of
title 40, United States Code, there remains a balance of funds
received for the establishment of the commemorative work under
this section, the Corporation shall transmit the amount of the
balance to a separate account with the National Park Foundation
for memorials, to be available to the Secretary of the Interior
or the Administrator of General Services, as appropriate, in
accordance with the process provided in section 8906(b)(4) of
title 40, United States Code, for accounts established under
paragraph (2) or (3) of section 8906(b) of that title.
SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.
This Act shall take effect 1 day after the date of enactment of
this Act.
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