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H.R. 909: Pet and Women Safety Act of 2017

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H.R. 909: Pet and Women Safety Act of 2017

115th Congress · introduced 2017-02-07 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2017-02-07 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Clark, Katherine M. [D-MA-5] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. 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.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Pet and Women Safety Act of 2017

Plain summary

Pet and Women Safety Act of 2017 This bill amends the federal criminal code to broaden the definition of stalking to include conduct that causes a person to experience a reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury to his or her pet. Additionally, an interstate violation of a protection order includes interstate travel with the intent to violate a protection order against a pet that is included within the scope of the protection order. The bill specifies the applicable criminal penalty—a prison term of up to five years, a fine, or both—for a person who commits an interstate violation of a protection order against a pet. With respect to a defendant who commits a domestic violence offense or an interstate violation of a protection order, mandatory restitution in the "full amount of victim's losses" includes costs incurred for veterinary services related to the pet. The bill directs the Department of Agriculture to award grants for shelter and housing assistance and support services for domestic violence victims with pets. Finally, it expresses the sense of Congress that states should include, in domestic violence protection orders, protections against violence or threats against a person's pet.

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)

Official text

Pet and Women Safety Act of 2017

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Clark, Katherine M. [D-MA-5] · 250 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Steve Cohen (D-TN), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Rick Larsen (D-WA), William R. Keating (D-MA), Bill Foster (D-IL), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Adam Smith (D-WA), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA), Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT), Dina Titus (D-NV), Adam B. Schiff (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Scott H. Peters (D-CA), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Marc A. Veasey (D-TX), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL) and 190 more.

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Clark, Katherine M. [D-MA-5] reported raising $5.0 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

Record fed-us-cong115-hr909 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115