I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6170 
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a 
pilot program to study the efficacy of dog-assisted therapy on vulnerable 
populations, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 10, 2020 
Mr. LIPINSKI introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to 
carry out a pilot program to study the efficacy of dog- 
assisted therapy on vulnerable populations, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Dogs Offering Gentle 
Support Act’’or the ‘‘DOGS Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
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(1) Medical research has demonstrated mental, 
emotional, and cognitive benefits of dog-assisted 
therapy in various populations. 
(2) Vulnerable populations, such as children 
with low reading comprehension, elderly nursing 
home residents and veterans suffering from post- 
traumatic stress disorder, can see particularly strong 
benefits from dog-assisted therapy. 
(3) Congress should support this growing body 
of research by deploying Federal agency resources to 
determine the ways in which dog-assisted therapy 
can be most beneficial. 
(4) Findings from the pilot program established 
under this Act can be instructive to State and local 
governments, non-profit organizations and other en-
tities seeking to make use of dog-assisted therapy. 
SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 
PILOT PROGRAM ON DOG-ASSISTED THER-
APY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Commencing not later than 120 
days after the date of the enactment of the Act, subject 
to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services shall carry out a pilot pro-
gram under which the Secretary shall make grants to ap-
propriate non-government entities for the purpose of con-
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ducting routine dog-assisted therapy in various community 
settings and populations. In addition to the eligibility cri-
teria in subsection (e), the Secretary may impose addi-
tional eligibility criteria necessary for the effective func-
tioning of the pilot program. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this program is to 
add to the growing body of research on the effectiveness 
of dog-assisted therapy in various settings and among var-
ious populations, and to encourage the broader adoption 
of dog-assisted therapy in settings and among populations 
where such therapy offers proven benefits. 
(c) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that vulnerable populations should be prioritized in 
grant awards from the Secretary to eligible entities. Such 
populations may include, but are not limited to, patients 
in nursing or assisted-living facilities, children with intel-
lectual and developmental disabilities in academic settings, 
and veterans seeking care in State or Federal veterans’ 
facilities. 
(d) DURATION OF PILOT PROGRAM.—The pilot pro-
gram required by subsection (a) shall be carried out dur-
ing the 3-year period beginning on the date of the com-
mencement of the pilot program. 
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(e) ELIGIBILITY AND CONDITIONS ON RECEIPT OF 
GRANTS.—As a condition of receiving a grant under this 
section, a non-government entity shall— 
(1) submit to the Secretary certification that 
the entity is an organization described in section 
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that 
visits community settings with dogs for the purposes 
of providing dog-assisted therapy; 
(2) ensure that dogs making therapy visits are 
certified by a therapy dog certification with dem-
onstrated experience, national scope, and recognized 
leadership and expertise in the training of therapy 
dogs and their handlers; 
(3) agree to cover all costs in excess of the 
grant amount; 
(4) agree to a minimum number of routine vis-
its to a community setting, as determined by the 
Secretary to ensure meaningful impact on those 
present in the setting; 
(5) ensure that any training of dogs does not 
involve abusive methods such as shock collars, and 
instead uses positive reinforcement training; 
(6) provide a wellness certification from a li-
censed veterinarian for any dog making a therapy 
visit under this program; and 
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(7) submit to the Secretary an application con-
taining such information, certification, and assur-
ances as the Secretary may require. 
(f) COLLECTION OF DATA.—In carrying out this sec-
tion, the Secretary shall— 
(1) develop metrics and other appropriate 
means to measure the impact of routine dog-assisted 
therapy on the populations visited by non-govern-
ment organizations approved under subsection (e); 
and 
(2) establish processes to document and track 
the progress of populations under the program in 
terms of the benefits and improvements noted as a 
result of the program. 
(g) GAO BRIEFING AND STUDY.— 
(1) BRIEFING.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the commencement of the pilot program 
under subsection (a), the Comptroller General of the 
United States shall provide to the Committee on En-
ergy and Commerce of the House of Representatives 
and to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions of the Senate a briefing on the meth-
odology established for the program. 
(2) REPORT.—Not later than 270 days after 
the date on which the program terminates, the 
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Comptroller General shall submit to the committees 
specified in paragraph (1) a report on the program. 
Such report shall include an evaluation of the ap-
proach and methodology used for the program with 
respect to— 
(A) helping vulnerable populations over-
come emotional or cognitive challenges; and 
(B) relevant metrics, including those devel-
oped by the Secretary under paragraph (1) of 
subsection (f). 
Æ 
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