[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 185 (Tuesday, September 24, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 77767-77768]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-21977]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 185 / Tuesday, September 24, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 77767]]


                Proclamation 10815 of September 19, 2024

                
National Service Dog Day, 2024

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On National Service Dog Day, we recognize the proven 
                benefits that service dogs bring to so many people 
                across our Nation.

                Service dogs have long been at people's sides--acting 
                as an important source of comfort and an essential 
                resource to help with everyday life. It was not until 
                1990, when we passed the Americans with Disabilities 
                Act, that our Nation fully recognized and protected 
                service dogs by law. I am proud to have co-sponsored 
                this landmark legislation years ago, and I am proud of 
                its continued legacy today. Service dogs continue to 
                provide valuable aid and support, improving people's 
                lives--and even sometimes saving them. For people with 
                disabilities and those struggling with their health, 
                service dogs can help them perform everyday tasks, 
                alert them of oncoming medical episodes, or remind them 
                to take medication. For those dealing with post-
                traumatic stress disorder or anxiety, service dogs can 
                be a source of comfort and care--waking their owner up 
                during nightmares or helping them navigate large 
                crowds.

                My Administration has worked to ensure that everyone 
                has access to the health care and support services they 
                need. I signed the Puppies Assisting Wounded 
                Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act, which 
                established a pilot program that makes veterans 
                struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder eligible 
                to train service dogs. Additionally, the Department of 
                Veterans Affairs has also provided the Service Dog 
                Veterinary Health Insurance Benefit to over 1,400 
                veterans, ensuring that veterinary costs for their 
                service dogs are covered. And the Department of 
                Transportation established the first-ever Airline 
                Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights, which 
                affirmed the right to travel with a service animal, and 
                proposed a rule to ensure all passengers with 
                disabilities--including those with service animals--can 
                travel safely and with dignity.

                Today, may we celebrate service dogs, who offer 
                assistance, comfort, and unconditional love to so many.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 20, 
                2024, as National Service Dog Day. I call upon the 
                people of the United States to honor the role of 
                service dogs in the lives of people with disabilities 
                and America's veterans with appropriate ceremonies and 
                activities.

[[Page 77768]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                nineteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of 
                the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                ninth.
                <GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2024-21977
Filed 9-23-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P