Washington, DC – Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01) issued the following statement after the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure passed her Planning for Animal Wellness (PAW) Act.

“I’m proud that my bill which recognizes pets as integral members of our families passed out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee today,” said Rep. Dina Titus. “No one should have to make the impossible choice between leaving their animals behind or evacuating to safety in the event of a natural disaster. The PAW Act will make certain FEMA guidance matches current best practices so that first responders and federal disaster response workers can help pet owners plan to keep every member of their family, even the furry ones, safe.”

Background

The Planning for Animal Wellness (PAW) Act would:

• Create a working group at FEMA to review best practices and current Federal guidance related to the sheltering and evacuation of pets throughout the emergency management process.
• The working group would consist of animal experts from academia, non-profits, the veterinarian field, and state and local government.
• If the working group determines that current best practices are insufficient, FEMA would be required to update its federal guidance within 1.5 years of the bill’s enactment into law.

The PAW Act builds upon the bipartisan Providing Responsible Emergency Plans for Animals at Risk of Emerging Disasters (PREPARED) Act (H.R. 1442) Rep. Titus introduced along with Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) in 2021.

Full text of the bill can be found here.

A one-page summary of the bill can be found here.

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