Animal Emergency Planning Act of 2015

Summary: Animal Emergency Planning Act of 2015 This bill amends the Animal Welfare Act to require research facilities, dealers, exhibitors, intermediate handlers, and carriers (covered persons) to develop, document, and follow a contingency plan to provide for the humane handling, treatment, transportation, housing, and care of their animals in the event of an emergency or disaster. The plan must:  identify situations that the covered person might experience that would trigger the need to implement the measures identified in the plan;   outline tasks to be carried out in response to emergencies or disasters;   establish a chain of command and identify the individuals responsible for fulfilling the tasks; and   address how response and recovery will be handled in terms of materials, resources, and training needed.  Covered persons must review their plan at least annually, train personnel in their roles and responsibilities as outlined in the plan, and provide training when the plan changes. The bill does not preempt state law that provides equal or greater protection for animals.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Animal Emergency Planning Act of 
2015''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, as well as other recent 
        natural and man-made disasters, have highlighted the need for 
        planning to minimize the impact of disasters.
            (2) Lack of preparedness in times of disaster can have 
        especially devastating effects on animals and the people who 
        risk their lives to protect them.
            (3) Local first-responders, non-governmental agencies, and 
        private individuals most often shoulder the cost and 
        responsibility of animals affected by disasters.
            (4) It is reasonable to ask those who use animals 
        commercially to demonstrate a level of readiness to protect the 
        animals under their care.

SEC. 3. REQUIREMENT THAT COVERED ENTITIES DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT 
              EMERGENCY CONTINGENCY PLANS.

    (a) In General.--The Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 30. ANIMAL EMERGENCY PLANNING.

    ``(a) Covered Person.--For purposes of this section, the term 
`covered person' means a research facility, dealer, exhibitor, 
intermediate handler, carrier, or Federal research facility.
    ``(b) Contingency Plan.--Each covered person shall develop, 
document, and follow a contingency plan to provide for the humane 
handling, treatment, transportation, housing, and care of its animals 
in the event of an emergency or disaster. Such a contingency plan 
shall--
            ``(1) identify situations that the covered person might 
        experience, including natural disasters and emergencies such as 
        electrical outages, faulty HVAC systems, fires, mechanical 
        breakdowns, and animal escapes, that would trigger the need for 
        the measures identified in the contingency plan to be put into 
        action;
            ``(2) outline specific tasks to be carried out in response 
        to the identified emergencies or disasters, including detailed 
        animal evacuation or shelter-in-place instructions and 
        provisions for providing backup sources of food and water as 
        well as sanitation, ventilation, bedding, and veterinary care;
            ``(3) establish a chain of command and identify the 
        individuals responsible for fulfilling the tasks described in 
        paragraph (2); and
            ``(4) address how response and recovery will be handled in 
        terms of materials, resources, and training needed.
    ``(c) Annual Review.--Each covered person shall--
            ``(1) review its contingency plan on at least an annual 
        basis to ensure that it adequately addresses the criteria 
        described in subsection (b); and
            ``(2) maintain documentation of the annual reviews and any 
        amendments or changes made to its contingency plan since the 
        previous year's review.
    ``(d) Training.--Each covered person shall--
            ``(1) train its personnel in their roles and 
        responsibilities as outlined in the contingency plan;
            ``(2) communicate any changes in the contingency plan to 
        personnel through training within 30 days after making the 
        changes; and
            ``(3) maintain documentation of its personnel's 
        participation in, and successful completion of, the training 
        required by this subsection.
    ``(e) Availability of Documentation.--
            ``(1) In general.--Each covered person shall submit to the 
        Secretary on an annual basis its contingency plan, as well as 
        any documentation described in subsections (c)(2) and (d)(3).
            ``(2) While traveling.--A covered person engaged in travel 
        shall carry a copy of its contingency plan with it at all times 
        and make it available for inspection by the Secretary while in 
        travel status.''.
    (b) Regulations.--
            (1) Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of 
        this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall promulgate such 
        regulations as the Secretary determines to be necessary to 
        carry out section 30 of the Animal Welfare Act, as added by 
        subsection (a) of this Act.
            (2) The regulations described in paragraph (1) shall be 
        made without regard to the rulemaking procedures under section 
        553 of title 5, United States Code.
    (c) No Preemption.--Nothing in this Act or the amendments made by 
this Act preempts any law (including a regulation) of a State, or a 
political subdivision of a State, containing requirements that provide 
equivalent or greater protection for animals than the requirements of 
this Act or the amendments made by this Act.
    (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply to covered persons (as defined in section 30(a) of the Animal 
Welfare Act, as added by such subsection) beginning on the date that is 
30 days after the date of enactment of this Act.