K–9 Hero Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9664 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9664

To require the establishment of a grant program to assist with certain
  veterinary expenses of retired Federal working dogs, and for other
                               purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 14, 2026

Mr. Van Orden introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
              Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To require the establishment of a grant program to assist with certain
  veterinary expenses of retired Federal working dogs, and for other
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``K-9 Hero Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) In 2022, the Government Accountability Office report
        titled ``Working Dogs: Federal Agencies Need to Better Address
        Health and Welfare'' (GAO-23-104489) included a finding that,
        as of 2022, approximately 5,100 working dogs were managed
        pursuant to 40 Federal programs, including as follows:
                    (A) 2,942 for the Department of Homeland Security,
                including--
                            (i) 1,097 for the Transportation Security
                        Administration, carrying out duties relating to
                        explosives detection;
                            (ii) 863 for the United States Border
                        Patrol of United States Customs and Border
                        Protection, carrying out duties relating to
                        human detection;
                            (iii) 498 for the Office of Field
                        Operations of United States Customs and Border
                        Protection, carrying out duties relating to
                        human detection;
                            (iv) 151 for the Office of Training and
                        Development of United States Customs and Border
                        Protection, carrying out duties relating to
                        human detection;
                            (v) 130 for the elements of United States
                        Customs and Border Protection involved in
                        agriculture activities, carrying out duties
                        relating to disease surveillance;
                            (vi) 111 for the United States Secret
                        Service;
                            (vii) 70 for the Federal Protective
                        Service, carrying out duties relating to
                        explosives detection;
                            (viii) 18 for the United States Coast
                        Guard, carrying out duties relating to
                        explosives detection; and
                            (ix) 4 for the Federal Emergency Management
                        Agency.
                    (B) 564 for the Air Force.
                    (C) 469 for the Army.
                    (D) 319 for the Navy.
                    (E) 189 for the Marine Corps.
                    (F) 140 for the United States Special Operations
                Command.
                    (G) 32 for the National Security Agency.
                    (H) 24 for the Pentagon Force Protection Agency.
                    (I) 19 for the National Geospatial-Intelligence
                Agency.
                    (J) 9 for the National Guard Bureau.
                    (K) 4 for the Defense Intelligence Agency.
            (2) A report of the Government Accountability Office titled
        ``Medical Conditions and Care for End-of-Service Military
        Working Dogs'' (GAO-17-358), issued in 2017, included a finding
        that the average cost of care for a retired military working
        dog is an average of $1,182 per fiscal year, excluding the cost
        for specialty medical expenses required for such dogs, such as
        extensive surgeries from service-related injuries, medical
        supplements vital for health, and treatments for other
        illnesses accumulated through service.
            (3) Owners of retired Federal working dogs are therefore
        required to rely on nonprofit organizations to assist in paying
        for such medical expenses.
            (4) Nonprofit organizations secure funds for such payments
        to owners via fundraising and donors, but do not always receive
        the necessary amount of funds to assist owners in covering such
        medical expenses.
            (5) Awarding Federal grants to such nonprofits for such
        payments to owners would ensure the coverage of such necessary
        amounts.

SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN MEDICAL EXPENSES OF RETIRED FEDERAL
              WORKING DOGS.

    (a) Grant Program.--Not later than October 1, 2026, the Secretary
of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall jointly carry
out a program under which the Secretaries, in coordination with the
heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, may award
grants to eligible nonprofit organizations to assist with the covered
medical expenses of retired Federal working dogs (in this section
referred to as the ``program'').
    (b) Eligibility.--A nonprofit organization is eligible to receive a
grant under the program if the primary activities of the nonprofit
organization are to provide care for retired Federal working dogs or
financial assistance to the owners of such dogs for the purpose of
covering the costs of covered medical expenses.
    (c) Applications.--To receive a grant under the program, an
eligible nonprofit organization shall submit to the Secretary of
Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security an application at such
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the
Secretaries may require, including information that demonstrates that
the nonprofit organization meets the eligibility requirements under
such subsection.
    (d) Limitations on Grant Amounts.--
            (1) Total amount limitation.--The total amount of grants
        awarded under the program to an eligible nonprofit organization
        may not exceed $1,000,000 per fiscal year.
            (2) Reduction in grant amounts.--If an eligible nonprofit
        organization does not expend the full amount of a grant awarded
        to such organization under the program for a fiscal year, the
        grant amount awarded for any subsequent fiscal year shall be
        reduced by an amount equal to such unexpended amount.
    (e) Use of Grant Amounts.--A grant awarded under the program may
only be used for the purpose of covering the costs of covered medical
expenses of retired Federal working dogs.
    (f) Oversight.--
            (1) Requirements.--In carrying out the program, the
        Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security
        shall jointly--
                    (A) develop data and statistics relating to health
                outcomes for retired Federal working dogs, to be used
                by eligible nonprofit organizations that receive a
                grant under the program; and
                    (B) establish processes to monitor and document the
                amount of funding necessary to support a retired
                Federal working dog with respect to covered medical
                expenses.
            (2) Collection of information.--The Secretary of Defense
        and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall collect such
        information from eligible nonprofit organizations that receive
        a grant under the program as the Secretaries determine
        appropriate to monitor and evaluate the use of grants,
        including to monitor health outcomes for each retired Federal
        working dog supported by such a grant over a five-year period
        following the receipt of such grant.
            (3) Recipient reports required.--As a condition of
        receiving a grant under the program, an eligible nonprofit
        organization shall agree to submit to the Secretary of Defense
        and the Secretary of Homeland Security, on an annual basis for
        the duration of the period during which the eligible nonprofit
        organization uses such grant amounts, a report describing the
        purposes for which such amounts were used.
    (g) Reports to Congress.--Not later than October 1, 2027, and on an
annual basis thereafter until September 30, 2031, the Secretary of
Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall jointly submit to
the appropriate congressional committees a report on the implementation
of the program. Such report shall include the following:
            (1) An identification of the number of retired Federal
        working dogs supported pursuant to a grant awarded under the
        program.
            (2) An assessment of the average annual covered expenses
        for each retired Federal working dog supported pursuant to such
        a grant, and a description of how the Secretaries used such
        average to determine grant amounts.
            (3) A description of the disbursement of grant amounts
        awarded under the program with respect to categories of retired
        Federal working dogs and eligible nonprofit organizations.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the program $5,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
    (i) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``appropriate congressional committees''
        means--
                    (A) the Committee on Armed Services and the
                Committee on Homeland Security of the House of
                Representatives; and
                    (B) the Committee on Armed Services and the
                Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
                of the Senate.
            (2) The term ``average annual covered expenses'' means the
        average amount of covered expenses for a retired Federal
        working dog during a fiscal year.
            (3) The term ``covered expense'' means any expense that
        derives from medical treatment or health care provided to a
        retired Federal working dog, including--
                    (A) any expense resulting from the treatment by a
                veterinarian of an injury, illness, or other health
                condition, regardless of whether such condition
                manifested in such dog during the period in which such
                dog conducted work on behalf of a Federal department or
                agency; and
                    (B) any expense relating to a medical procedure,
                diagnostic test, medication, medical supplement, or
                dietary alternative necessary to preserve and maintain
                the health of such dog.
            (4) The term ``eligible nonprofit organization'' means a
        nonprofit organization that meets the eligibility criteria
        under subsection (b).
            (5) The term ``retired Federal working dog'' means any dog
        previously owned and managed by a Federal department or agency
        and assigned work on behalf of such department or agency, that
        is retired from such work.
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