[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7787 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7787
To allow Federal personnel stationed abroad to return to the United
States with dogs, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 16, 2022
Mr. Phillips (for himself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Levin of Michigan, Mr.
Carson, Mr. O'Halleran, Ms. Titus, Ms. Salazar, Ms. Adams, Mr. Smith of
New Jersey, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Castro of Texas, Ms. Sanchez, and Mr. Soto)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on
Transportation and Infrastructure, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to
be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To allow Federal personnel stationed abroad to return to the United
States with dogs, and for other purposes.
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 cited as the ``Helping Employees Navigate Rabies
Regulations from over Yonder'' or the ``HENRY Act''.
SEC. 2. EXEMPTION FOR FEDERAL PERSONNEL ENTERING THE UNITED STATES WITH
DOGS.
(a) In General.--The Director of the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention shall ensure that the requirements of the Centers
relating to the importation of dogs are not overly burdensome with
respect to--
(1) an officer or employee of the United States Government
(including a member of the uniformed services) stationed or
assigned, including for temporary duty, outside of the United
States or its territories or possessions; or
(2) any dependent of such an officer or employee.
(b) Limitation on Temporary Suspension.--
(1) In general.--The temporary suspension on the
importation of dogs announced in the notice titled ``Temporary
Suspension of Dogs Entering the United States From High-Risk
Rabies Countries'' published by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention on June 16, 2021 (86 Fed. Reg. 32041 et seq.)
(and any successor or substantially similar restriction of the
Centers), shall not apply with respect to the importation of up
to three dogs per entry into the United States by persons
described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a).
(2) Waiver.--At the request of a person described in
paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a), the Director of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may waive the
limitation of three dogs specified in paragraph (1) so as to
allow the importation by such person of up to a number of dogs
per entry specified in such waiver.
(c) Applicability To Travel in Personal Capacity.--This section
shall apply with respect to an officer, employee, or dependent
regardless of whether the officer, employee, or dependent is traveling
in an official or personal capacity.
(d) Interim Regulations.--Section 71.51 of title 42, Code of
Federal Regulations (as in effect on the day before June 16, 2021)
(other than section 71.51(e)) is deemed to apply with respect to the
importation of dogs by persons described in paragraph (1) or (2) of
subsection (a), until and unless the Director of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention establishes different requirements
consistent with subsection (a).
(e) Conforming Changes.--Not later than 30 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention shall revise the temporary suspension on the importation
of dogs announced in the notice titled ``Temporary Suspension of Dogs
Entering the United States From High-Risk Rabies Countries'' published
by the Centers on June 16, 2021 (86 Fed. Reg. 32041 et seq.), and take
such other steps as may be necessary, to implement this subsection.
(f) Applicability.--Irrespective of the date by which the Director
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention makes the revisions
and takes the steps required by subsection (d), this section applies to
the importation of dogs beginning on the date of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 3. FLY AMERICA ACT EXCEPTION.
Section 40118 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding
at the end the following:
``(h) Certain Transportation of Domestic Animals.--
``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (c),
an appropriation to any department, agency, or instrumentality
of the United States Government may be used to pay for the
transportation of an officer, employee, or member of the
uniformed services of any such department, agency, or
instrumentality, a dependent of the officer, employee, or
member, and in-cabin or accompanying checked baggage, by a
foreign air carrier when--
``(A)(i) the transportation is from a place outside
the United States to a place in the United States;
``(ii) the transportation is from a place in the
United States to a place outside the United States; or
``(iii) the transportation is from a place outside
the United States to another place outside the United
States; and
``(B) no air carrier holding a certificate under
section 41102 is willing and able to transport up to
three domestic animals accompanying such officer,
employee, member, or dependent.
``(2) Limitation.--An amount paid pursuant to paragraph (1)
for transportation by a foreign carrier may not be greater than
the amount that would otherwise have been paid had the
transportation been on an air carrier holding a certificate
under section 41102 had that carrier been willing and able to
provide such transportation. If the amount that would otherwise
have been paid to such an air carrier is less than the cost of
transportation on the applicable foreign carrier, the officer,
employee, or member may pay the difference of such amount.
``(3) Definition.--In this subsection, the term `domestic
animal' means a dog or a cat.''.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATIONS RELATING TO VETERINARY CARE OVERSEAS.
(a) Department of State.--The Secretary of State, in consultation
with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is
authorized, in order to facilitate the importation to the United
States, in accordance with section 2 and the amendment made by section
3, of domestic animals by officers and employees of the United States
Government, and their dependents, under the authority of any Chief of
Mission from a country classified by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention as high risk for dog rabies--
(1) to enter into contracts with individuals who are
licensed in the United States for the provision of personal
services (as described in section 104 of part 37 of title 48,
Code of Federal Regulations and including pursuant to section
904 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4084)) to
provide veterinary care overseas for domestic animals of such
officers, employees, and dependents, except that--
(A) such individuals may not be deemed officers or
employees of the United States for the purpose of any
law administered by the Office of Personnel Management;
and
(B) such individuals shall be expected to be
available to travel to any overseas post as necessary
to provide veterinary care and shall not be hired for
or detailed exclusively to any specific overseas post;
and
(2) to take such steps as may be necessary to provide
medical services or related support with respect to the
domestic animals of such officers, employees, and dependents,
including in particular the purchase, procurement, delivery,
and administration of rabies vaccines licensed by the Secretary
of Agriculture, on a reimbursable basis to the extent feasible,
except that such reimbursement may not exceed the amount that
would be charged for equivalent veterinarian services if
received in the United States.
(b) Use of Existing Mechanisms.--To the maximum extent practicable,
the Secretary of State shall use existing mechanisms, including for the
purchase, procurement, delivery, and administration of COVID-19
vaccines to officers and employees of the United States Government and
their dependents under the authority of any Chief of Mission abroad, to
carry out the authorities provided by subsection (a), especially with
respect to the purchase, procurement, delivery, and administration of
rabies vaccines licensed by the Secretary of Agriculture.
(c) Definition.--In this section, the term ``domestic animal''
means a dog or a cat.
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