H.R. 1448: PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act

117th Congress · introduced 2021-03-01 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Became Public Law No: 117-37.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2021-03-01 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Stivers, Steve [R-OH-15] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Became Public Law No: 117-37. (final step reached)
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

PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act

Plain summary

Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act or the PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act This bill implements a program and a policy related to service dog therapy for veterans. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a five-year pilot program to provide canine training to eligible veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder as an element of a complementary and integrative health program. Eligible veterans are those who are enrolled in the VA health care system and have been recommended for participation by a qualified mental health care provider or clinical team. The VA must seek to enter agreements containing specified elements with accredited nongovernmental entities that have demonstrated ability to provide canine training. Veterans who participate in the program are authorized to adopt the dog they assisted in training if their health provider determines it is in the best interest of the veteran. The VA must establish processes to document and track the progress of participating veterans with respect to health benefits and improvements. The Government Accountability Office must brief Congress and submit a report on the program. The bill also authorizes the VA to provide service dogs to veterans with mental illnesses, regardless of whether they have a mobility impairment.

Congressional Research Service summary (Public Law), 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

PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Public Law)

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Stivers, Steve [R-OH-15] · 317 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: H.R. 1448, Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act (2021-06-11)

Cosponsors on this site

Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Neal P. Dunn (R-FL), John H. Rutherford (R-FL), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), W. Gregory Steube (R-FL), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Daniel Webster (R-FL), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Steve Womack (R-AR), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA), Jefferson Van Drew (R-NJ), William R. Keating (D-MA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Jim Costa (D-CA), Michael R. Turner (R-OH), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Don Bacon (R-NE), Joseph D. Morelle (D-NY), James R. Baird (R-IN), David P. Joyce (R-OH), John R. Moolenaar (R-MI), Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA) and 257 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 (Public Law)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-117hr1448.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/117/hr>

Record fed-us-cong117-hr1448 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117