H.R. 398: HEART Act of 2017
Before you vote › Federal bills
H.R. 398: HEART Act of 2017
115th Congress · introduced 2017-01-10 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2017-01-10 · official record
- Who proposed it: Rep. Katko, John [R-NY-24] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
HEART Act of 2017
Plain summary
Help Extract Animals from Red Tape Act of 2017 or the HEART Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to modify the notice period in civil forfeiture proceedings that involve the seizure of an animal involved in animal fighting. It requires the government to send notice of the seizure to interested parties within 30 days (currently, 60 days). The notice period may be extended only if a delay is warranted after considering certain factors, including the cost to the government of providing shelter for the animal, the health of the animal and the effect of a delay on its rehabilitation, and any increased risk that a delay could necessitate the euthanasia of the animal. The bill amends the federal judicial code to authorize the Department of Justice to use amounts from the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund to pay for costs associated with a seized animal, including transportation, shelter, care, veterinary services, and humane euthanasia.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
What a vote does
A “Yea” vote
If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.
A “Nay” vote
If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.
PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).
What does this mean? (plain words)
AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text
No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.
Limited to a few requests an hour per person.
The strongest published arguments
Arguments for (supporters)
Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
Arguments against (opponents)
Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
Alternatives
Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Rep. Katko, John [R-NY-24] · 83 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
Cosponsors on this site
Judy Chu (D-CA), Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Don Bacon (R-NE), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Michael T. McCaul (R-TX), Hakeem S. Jeffries (D-NY), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Michael R. Turner (R-OH), Katherine M. Clark (D-MA), Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Ro Khanna (D-CA), David P. Joyce (R-OH), Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) and 23 more.
No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.
Words on this page, explained (2)
- Authorization
- A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
- Bill
- A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115hr398.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/hr>
Record fed-us-cong115-hr398 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115