Sponsors (4)
The bill increases federal protections, clearer definitions, and standardized emergency care for police dogs—improving K-9 survival and enforcement clarity—while expanding federal jurisdiction and penalties and imposing costs, resource trade-offs, and implementation burdens on EMS and local governments.
Law-enforcement K-9s and agencies gain stronger federal criminal protection against violent attacks on on-duty police dogs, increasing deterrence and the likelihood of federal prosecution.
Handlers, EMS, and communities can provide emergency veterinary care and standardized EMS treatment/transport for injured police dogs (including on-scene care and faster access to veterinary facilities), improving injured K-9 survival and avoiding costly specialty referrals.
Law enforcement agencies get clearer, more uniform definitions of 'police dog' and clarified interagency responsibilities with DOT rulemaking deadlines, reducing ambiguity and operational delays across jurisdictions.
Expanding covered animals and weapon-based offenses strengthens federal criminal jurisdiction and raises maximum penalties (up to 15 years), likely shifting prosecutions to federal courts and increasing incarceration costs for taxpayers while reducing some local control.
Allowing EMS transport and on-scene treatment of police dogs risks diverting scarce EMS resources (personnel time and ambulance space) from human patients in high-demand situations, potentially affecting patient care.
New obligations to train EMS personnel, update protocols, and accept animal treatment/transport create administrative and program costs and potential liability for local governments and EMS providers.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Increases federal penalties for harming covered police animals, defines who counts as a police animal, and requires DOT-issued EMS guidance and rules allowing EMTs to treat and transport injured police dogs.
Introduced July 25, 2025 by Aaron Bean · Last progress July 25, 2025
Creates new federal protections and penalties for police dogs and horses, clarifies who counts as a “police animal,” and directs the Department of Transportation to produce EMS guidance and regulations to allow emergency medical personnel to treat and transport injured police dogs. It raises the maximum federal prison term when a deadly or dangerous weapon is used during an offense against a covered police animal and excludes good-faith emergency veterinary care from criminal liability. Requires DOT (through NHTSA's EMS Initiatives) to publish guidance within 180 days and to issue implementing regulations within 240 days that allow EMTs/paramedics to provide emergency care to police dogs and to transport injured police dogs to veterinary facilities when no human patient requires transport at that time.