I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4958 
To increase the number of trained detection canines of the Department 
of Homeland Security, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 14, 2006 
Mr. ROGERS of Alabama (for himself, Mr. MEEK of Florida, Mr. MCCAUL of 
Texas, and Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addi-
tion to the Committees on the Judiciary and Transportation and Infra-
structure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To increase the number of trained detection canines of the 
Department of Homeland Security, 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 ‘‘Canine Detection 
Team Augmentation and Certification Act of 2006’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Canine detection teams, which consist of a 
canine and a canine handler, are an important part 
of a layered homeland security system to prepare 
for, respond to, mitigate against, and prevent acts of 
terrorism. 
(2) Canine detection teams can be deployed 
quickly and can move easily throughout a variety of 
areas, including mass transit systems, airports, 
cargo areas, sea ports, the Nation’s borders, ports of 
entry, office buildings, and stadiums. 
(3) Canine detection teams can be trained to 
detect a variety of items, such as explosives, nar-
cotics, concealed humans, cadavers, and chemical 
and biological materials. 
(4) Canine detection teams can be utilized in 
situations where detection technologies are unavail-
able, immobile, or not cost-effective. 
(5) There is a shortage of canine detection 
teams available to assist Federal, State, and local 
law enforcement personnel as they put their lives at 
risk daily to protect the Nation. 
(6) The Congress has authorized 2,000 new 
Border Patrol agents for each of fiscal years 2006 
through 2010 without a corresponding increase in 
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the number of detection canines deployed with these 
Border Patrol agents. 
(7) Canine detection teams have been deployed 
to the Nation’s busiest airports. However, the 
Transportation Security Administration must in-
crease the capacity of its canine training program in 
order to train and deploy canines to the Nation’s 
mass transit systems. 
(8) Urban search and rescue canines and ca-
daver detection canines were used effectively in the 
Gulf Coast region to respond to Hurricanes Katrina 
and Rita. 
(9) The Bureau of United States Customs and 
Border Protection, the United States Secret Service, 
the Coast Guard, and the Federal Protective Service 
regularly use canine detection teams to secure Na-
tional Special Security Events, protect Federal 
buildings and their occupants, and protect the Na-
tion’s sea ports. 
(10) State, local, and tribal agencies and the 
private sector rely on canine detection teams for se-
curity purposes, like the Federal Government. In the 
absence of national training and certification stand-
ards, there have been a number of fraudulent oper-
ations and the use of inadequately trained canines 
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and canine handlers. In one documented case, in 
2003, a Virginia man, Russell Lee Ebersole, sup-
plied explosive detection canine teams to several gov-
ernment agencies, including the Federal Reserve 
Board, that failed explosives detection tests on five 
different occasions. 
(11) The Subcommittee on Management, Inte-
gration, and Oversight of the Committee on Home-
land Security of the House of Representatives held 
a hearing on September 28, 2005, regarding the use 
of canine detection teams in support of homeland se-
curity activities. At the hearing, Subcommittee Mem-
bers were informed by several Federal agencies, a 
local transit police department, a private canine se-
curity company, and a university-based canine train-
ing center that— 
(A) there is a shortage of trained canine 
detection teams; 
(B) there is a need for a national canine 
detection team training standard, or multiple 
standards, in order to strengthen the quality of 
canine detection teams and their interchange-
ability among Federal, State, and local agencies 
and the private sector; and 
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(C) there is a demonstrated need for Fed-
eral leadership to ensure that certifying entities 
are qualified and that they do not inappropri-
ately certify canine detection teams that may 
put homeland security and public safety at risk. 
SEC. 3. CANINE DETECTION TEAM AUGMENTATION AND 
CERTIFICATION. 
(a) INCREASING THE NUMBER OF TRAINED CANINE 
DETECTION TEAMS.— 
(1) INCREASE.—In each of fiscal years 2007 
through 2011, the Secretary of Homeland Security 
shall, subject to the availability of appropriations for 
such purpose, increase the number of trained canine 
detection teams of the Department over the number 
of such teams deployed or available on the last day 
of the preceding fiscal year as follows: 
(A) CUSTOMS
AND
BORDER
PROTEC-
TION.—An increase of not less than 25 percent 
the number of trained canine detection teams 
deployed at and between the Nation’s ports of 
entry. 
(B) TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINIS-
TRATION.—Increase by not less than 25 percent 
the number of trained detection canines de-
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