Should Homeland Security Have a Strategy For Obtaining More Bomb-Sniffing Dogs? (H.R. 4577)

What is H.R. 4577?

(Updated December 25, 2019)

This bill would create a working group within the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) focused on developing behavioral, medical, and technical standards for explosives detection working dog breeding and training. The working group would plan to develop a decentralized domestic canine breeding network to produce working dogs that meet those standards.

The working group would be composed of representatives of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Science and Technology Directorate of DHS, national domestic canine associations with expertise in breeding, universities with relevant expertise, and domestic canine breeders.

Preliminary standards and recommendations would be provided to TSA within 180 days of the working group’s establishment. Within 180 days after they’re submitted, TSA would provide relevant congressional committees with a strategy for expanding the canine breeding network and within 270 days TSA would issue baseline behavioral standards.

Argument in favor

There’s an urgent need for more explosives detection dogs, and Homeland Security should develop a decentralized breeding network to ensure there are enough canines that do the job. A working group of stakeholders will develop an effective strategy.

Argument opposed

This bill drags out the process of developing a breeding network to produce more explosives detection dogs, Congress and Homeland Security shouldn’t bother with the working group’s recommendations.

Impact

Explosives detection dogs, their breeders, and vendors; DHS; and the working group.

Cost of H.R. 4577

The CBO estimates that enacting this bill would cost less than $500,000 in 2018.

Additional Info

In-Depth: The U.S. is facing a shortage of explosives detection dogs, which led Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) to introduce this bill:

“We are not going to have a choice as a country. We are going to have to find a way to provide canines for the evolving terrorist threat.”

This legislation passed the House Homeland Security Committee by unanimous consent and has the support of nine cosponsors in the House, including seven Republicans and two Democrats.

• Republican Policy Committee
• CBO Cost Estimate
• New York Times (Context)