[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6743 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6743

To require the Secretary of Defense to establish a pilot program under 
  which the Secretary may furnish a service dog to any member of the 
               Armed Forces with a qualifying disability.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 31, 2008

 Mr. Jones of North Carolina introduced the following bill; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of Defense to establish a pilot program under 
  which the Secretary may furnish a service dog to any member of the 
               Armed Forces with a qualifying disability.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be referred to as the ``Department of Defense Service 
Dog Pilot Program Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. SERVICE DOG PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) Requirement To Establish Pilot Program.--The Secretary of 
Defense shall establish and carry out a pilot program to furnish 
service dogs to members of the Armed Forces in accordance with this 
section.
    (b) Eligibility.--
            (1) In general.--Under the pilot program established under 
        subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense may furnish a service 
        dog to any member of the Armed Forces--
                    (A) who has a service-connected disability, 
                including a disability that limits mobility; and
                    (B) for whom a service dog may be of substantial 
                benefit in the treatment of such disability.
            (2) Notice.--The Secretary of Defense shall provide 
        information about the pilot program established under 
        subsection (a) to each member of the Armed Forces who may be 
        eligible for such pilot program.
    (c) Regulations.--The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe 
regulations to carry out this section, including regulations 
regarding--
            (1) eligibility for the pilot program established under 
        subsection (a);
            (2) standards for service dogs; and
            (3) standards for service dog providers.
    (d) Reports.--
            (1) Interim report.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
        of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
        submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the House of 
        Representatives and the Senate an interim report on the 
        progress of the pilot program established under subsection (a).
            (2) Final report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
        submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the House of 
        Representatives and the Senate a final report on the results of 
        the pilot program. The report shall include such 
        recommendations as the Secretary considers appropriate.
    (e) Duration.--The Secretary of Defense shall terminate the pilot 
program established under subsection (a) on the date that is 2 years 
after the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (f) Continuation of Benefits.--Notwithstanding subsection (e), the 
Secretary of Defense shall continue to carry out the pilot program 
established under subsection (a) to the extent necessary to continue to 
provide benefits to each member of the Armed Forces who has received a 
service dog under the pilot program.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Service dog.--The term ``service dog'' means any dog 
        individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the 
        benefit of an individual with a disability.
            (2) Service-connected disability.--The term ``service-
        connected disability'' means a disability incurred or 
        aggravated in the line of duty as a member of the Armed Forces.
                                 <all>