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PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act

Public Law 117-37 · H.R. 1448 · 117th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Aug 25, 2021 · Armed Forces and National Security

Sponsor: Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH-15)

Cosponsors (317): Rep. Kathleen Rice,

Passage votes

  • HouseMethod not stated
  • SenateVoice vote
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

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.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.Res. 380Related bill

    Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2547) to expand and enhance consumer, student, servicemember, and small business protections with respect to debt collection practices, and for other purposes; providing for…

  • S. 613Related bill

    PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 25 actions.

  1. Aug 25, 2021Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 117-37.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Aug 20, 2021FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Aug 9, 2021FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. Aug 6, 2021FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
  6. CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  7. May 13, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  8. May 12, 2021FloorFloor · Pursuant to section 6 of H. Res. 380, and the motion offered by Mr. Hoyer, the following bills passed under suspension of the rules: H.R. 297; H.R. 433; H.R. 478; H.R. 586; H.R. 721, as amended; H.R. 768; H.R. 810; H.R. 1205; H.R. 1260, as amended; H.R. 1324; H.R. 1448, as amend…
  9. FloorFloor · Pursuant to section 6 of H. Res. 380, and the motion offered by Mr. Hoyer, the following bills passed under suspension of the rules: H.R. 297; H.R. 433; H.R. 478; H.R. 586; H.R. 721, as amended; H.R. 768; H.R. 810; H.R. 1205; H.R. 1260, as amended; H.R…
  10. FloorFloor · Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 380, proceedings on H.R. 1448 are considered vacated.
  11. FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  12. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1448.
  13. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  14. FloorFloor · Mr. Takano moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  15. CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 16.
  16. CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. H. Rept. 117-31.
  17. May 4, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
  18. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  19. CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on Health Discharged.
  20. Apr 15, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Hearings Held.
  21. CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Health Subcommittee of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee
  22. Apr 14, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
  23. Mar 18, 2021CalendarCalendar · Motion to place bill on Consensus Calendar filed by Mr. Stivers.
  24. Mar 1, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  25. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.