S. 4205 · 117th Congress

PAW Act

Introduced on May 12, 2022 by Gary C. Peters (D-MI). 2 cosponsors, 2 of them from another party. Became Public Law 117-212.

Stage
Became law
Public Law 117-212
Introduced
May 12, 2022
Cosponsors
2
2 from the other party
Policy area
Emergency Management
Open in the Congress explorerCongress.govAlert me

Progress

The furthest stage the measure reached. Simple and concurrent resolutions do not go to the President.

  1. Introduced
  2. Reported by committee
  3. Passed one chamber
  4. Passed both chambers
  5. Sent to the President
  6. Became law

Official title

A bill to require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish a working group relating to best practices and Federal guidance for animals in emergencies and disasters, and for other purposes.

Subjects

  • Advisory bodies
  • Animal protection and human-animal relationships
  • Emergency planning and evacuation
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
  • Government information and archives
  • Government studies and investigations
  • Service animals

Summary

By the Congressional Research Service (Public Law, Oct 17, 2022). Public domain.

Planning for Animal Wellness Act or the PAW Act

This act directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a working group relating to best practices and federal guidance for animals in emergencies and disasters.

Specifically, the working group shall (1) encourage and foster collaborative efforts among individuals and entities working to address the needs of household pets, service and assistance animals, and captive animals in emergency and disaster preparedness, response, and recovery; and (2) review best practices and federal guidance on sheltering and evacuation planning relating to the needs of such pets and animals.

Sponsor and cosponsors

Cosponsors by party as of the day they signed on. Original cosponsors signed on the day of introduction.

Gary C. PetersD-MISponsor

Republicans · 2

Roll calls

Recorded votes on the measure. Most measures move by voice vote or unanimous consent, which record no individual positions.

No recorded roll call on this measure: it moved by voice vote or unanimous consent, or has not reached the floor.

History

Every action as published, oldest first. Roll calls link to how each member voted.

  1. May 12, 2022Introduced in Senate
  2. May 12, 2022 · SenateRead twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
  3. May 25, 2022 · SenateCommittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
  4. Aug 3, 2022Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Peters with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 117-140.
  5. Aug 3, 2022 · SenateCommittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Peters with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 117-140.
  6. Aug 3, 2022 · SenatePlaced on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 466.
  7. Aug 6, 2022Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.(consideration: CR S4165)
  8. Aug 6, 2022 · SenatePassed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S4165)
  9. Aug 8, 2022 · SenateMessage on Senate action sent to the House.
  10. Aug 9, 2022 · HouseReceived in the House.
  11. Aug 9, 2022 · HouseHeld at the desk.
  12. Sep 13, 2022 · HouseMs. Norton moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  13. Sep 13, 2022 · HouseConsidered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H7758-7759; text: CR H7758-7759)
  14. Sep 13, 2022 · HouseDEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 4205.
  15. Sep 13, 2022 · HouseAt the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  16. Sep 14, 2022 · HousePursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 1339, proceedings on S. 4205 are considered vacated.
  17. Sep 14, 2022Passed/agreed to in House: Pursuant to section 11 of H. Res. 1339, and the motion offered by Mr. Hoyer, the following bills passed under suspension of the rules: H.R. 1468, as amended; H.R. 5865; H.R. 5916, as amended; H.R. 7735, as amended; H.R. 7846; H.R. 7939, as amended; H.R. 8260, as amended; and S. 4205.
  18. Sep 14, 2022 · HousePursuant to section 11 of H. Res. 1339, and the motion offered by Mr. Hoyer, the following bills passed under suspension of the rules: H.R. 1468, as amended; H.R. 5865; H.R. 5916, as amended; H.R. 7735, as amended; H.R. 7846; H.R. 7939, as amended; H.R. 8260, as amended; and S. 4205. (consideration: CR H7814-7822; text: CR H7814)
  19. Oct 17, 2022Presented to President.
  20. Oct 17, 2022 · HousePresented to President.
  21. Oct 17, 2022Signed by President.
  22. Oct 17, 2022Signed by President.
  23. Oct 17, 2022Became Public Law No: 117-212.
  24. Oct 17, 2022Became Public Law No: 117-212.

Committees

Committees and subcommittees the measure was referred to.

Agencies in its committees' jurisdiction

Analisa's mapping of committee jurisdiction to federal agencies; the bill may touch others, or none of these.

Sources and method

Every figure on this page traces to these records.

  • Bill status: bills and resolutions, sponsors, actions, subjects and CRS summaries (U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), from Congress.gov (Library of Congress))GovInfo Bill Status bulk data (Congress.gov; summaries by the Congressional Research Service) · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Members of Congress, their terms, committees and identifiers (The @unitedstates project (from the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, the House and the Senate))unitedstates/congress-legislators: legislators, committees and current committee membership · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)
  • House roll-call votes (Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, roll-call vote records · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Senate roll-call votes and DW-NOMINATE scores (Voteview (UCLA Department of Political Science))Lewis, Jeffrey B., Keith Poole, Howard Rosenthal, Adam Boche, Aaron Rudkin, and Luke Sonnet (2026). Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database. https://voteview.com/ · data current to Oct 3, 2026 · loaded Oct 3, 2026 · license: Free to use with the required citation
  • Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives)Clerk of the House, Lobbying Disclosure Act filings (organizations only; lobbyists' names are not loaded) · data current to Oct 5, 2026 · loaded Oct 5, 2026 · license: Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. § 105)
  • Positions are shown only where a roll call recorded them; voice votes and unanimous consent record none.