Washington, DC – Today Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada’s First Congressional District, Chair of the House Subcommittee on Emergency Management, released the following statement in response to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) releasing a final rule implementing provisions of Rep. Titus’s PREPARED Act, bipartisan legislation which requires entities regulated under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) to create, implement, and file contingency plans with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for protecting animals in their care during emergency or disaster situations. Rep. Titus secured the language as part of the FY 2021 Appropriations bill which was enacted on December 27, 2020.

“I’m pleased to see this hard-fought effort finally come to fruition. The absence of a facility plan can result in dire consequences for animals when an emergency strikes,” said Rep. Titus, Chair of the House Subcommittee on Emergency Management. “As we experience more intense and more frequent storms and disasters, animal welfare at these facilities needs to be paramount, not an afterthought. This bipartisan provision will ensure zoos, commercial breeders and dealers, and research facilities have contingency plans in place to safely evacuate and care for animals in an emergency or disaster situation.”

“Requiring puppy mills, laboratories and roadside zoos to plan for the care of animals in disasters isn’t federal government interference – it’s compassionate foresight. The expanding threats posed by extreme weather events and human-created emergencies demand that entities regulated under the Animal Welfare Act take steps to safeguard animals in their care,” said Sara Amundson, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “With this final rule, USDA demonstrates that it too understands what animal advocates have long known, that animal-related disaster readiness is good for everyone – animals, society and the regulated enterprises. We commend Secretary Vilsack and USDA APHIS, and are so grateful to legislators who have helped bring us to this point, especially Representatives Dina Titus and Rodney Davis and Agriculture Appropriations Chairman Sanford Bishop for championing this cause.” 

“The ASPCA has witnessed firsthand how important contingency plans are, and how integral they can be in preventing further devastation, most recently with our efforts before, during and after Hurricane Ida,” said Nancy Perry, senior vice president of ASPCA Government Relations. “We are grateful to Representative Titus for her leadership on this issue and we are thrilled that this long-delayed rule will finally be implemented, requiring federally-regulated facilities to have a contingency plan in place. We urge the USDA to ensure that the animals affected by both natural and man-made disasters will be properly cared for under these plans and that their caregivers know what steps to take in these situations.”

Background: Timeline to Enactment

• December 31, 2012 – USDA publishes a final rule on contingency planning requirements for entities regulated under the Animal Welfare Act (Includes zoos, commercial animal dealers, and research facilities). USDA puts a hold on enforcing the rule pending further review.
• March 1, 2019 – Titus introduces the Providing Responsible Emergency Plans for Animals at Risk of Emerging Disasters (PREPARED) Act, which directs rulemaking in line with the 2012 final rule. The bill garners 222 bipartisan cosponsors. 
• April 20, 2019 – Titus leads bipartisan letter to House Appropriations urging them to include language requiring USDA to lift the stay and enforce the 2012 rule.
• July 24, 2019 – The House passes the Agriculture Appropriations Bill for FY20 including the Titus language. The language was not included in the final Omnibus Appropriations Bill signed by the President on Dec. 20, 2019.
• March 13, 2020 – Titus leads bipartisan letter to House Appropriations urging them to once again include her language to lift the stay and enforce the 2012 rule.
• April 8, 2020 – Titus reintroduces the PREPARED Act. The bill has 154 bipartisan cosponsors to date.
• July 15, 2020 – House passes Agriculture Appropriations Bill for FY21 that includes the Titus language.
• November 18, 2020 – Titus leads bipartisan letter to House and Senate Appropriations urging them to keep the Titus language in the final Omnibus Appropriations bill for FY21
• Dec. 27, 2020 – Omnibus Appropriations bill for FY21 is signed into law including Titus language directing USDA to lift the stay and enforce the 2012 final rule.