H.R. 4691: WOOF! Act
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H.R. 4691: WOOF! Act
115th Congress · introduced 2017-12-20 · Animals · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2017-12-20 · official record
- Who proposed it: Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-8] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture. 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
WOOF! Act
Plain summary
Welfare of Our Friends Act of 2017 or the WOOF! Act This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to prohibit the Department of Agriculture (USDA) from licensing a dealer of dogs whose previous licenses have been suspended or revoked in the last 10 years if the license is for operating a facility that the dealer previously used. Further, USDA may not issue or renew a license to: (1) the dog dealer's immediate family members, (2) a person who resides at the same address as the dog dealer, or (3) certain legal entities if such dealer holds an ownership interest in the entity.
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)
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The strongest published arguments
Arguments for (supporters)
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Arguments against (opponents)
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Alternatives
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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-8] · 166 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
Cosponsors on this site
Mike Quigley (D-IL), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Salud O. Carbajal (D-CA), Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA), David Schweikert (R-AZ), Glenn Thompson (R-PA), Scott H. Peters (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Adam Smith (D-WA), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Pete Aguilar (D-CA), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Al Green (D-TX), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA) and 106 more.
Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-8] reported raising $8.0 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.
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 (1)
- 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-115hr4691.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/hr>
Record fed-us-cong115-hr4691 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115