H.R. 4638 · 119th Congress

Federal Working Animal Protection Act

Introduced on Jul 23, 2025 by Ken Calvert (R-CA-41). 19 cosponsors, all from the sponsor's party. Latest action (Mar 19, 2026): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Stage
Passed one chamber
Introduced
Jul 23, 2025
Cosponsors
19
0 from the other party
Policy area
Immigration
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. 4Passed both chambers
  5. 5Sent to the President
  6. 6Became law

Official title

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that an alien who has been convicted of harming animals used in law enforcement is inadmissible and deportable, and for other purposes.

Subjects

  • Animal protection and human-animal relationships
  • Border security and unlawful immigration
  • Crimes against animals and natural resources
  • Immigration status and procedures

Summary

By the Congressional Research Service (Introduced in House, Jul 23, 2025). Public domain.

Bill to Outlaw Wounding of Official Working Animals Act or the BOWOW Act

This bill establishes that a non-U.S. national (alien under federal law) convicted of, or who admits to having committed, an offense related to harming animals used in law enforcement is inadmissible and deportable.

Sponsor and cosponsors

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

Ken CalvertR-CA-41Sponsor

Republicans · 19

Roll calls

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

  1. On Passage
    Mar 19, 2026· House· Passage· Passed 228–190

History

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

  1. Jul 23, 2025Introduced in House
  2. Jul 23, 2025Introduced in House
  3. Jul 23, 2025 · HouseReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
  4. Nov 18, 2025 · HouseCommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
  5. Nov 20, 2025 · HouseCommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
  6. Nov 20, 2025 · HouseOrdered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 18 - 12.
  7. Dec 12, 2025Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 119-407.
  8. Dec 12, 2025 · HouseReported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 119-407.
  9. Dec 12, 2025 · HousePlaced on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 355.
  10. Mar 16, 2026 · HouseRules Committee Resolution H. Res. 1115 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 556, H.R. 1958 and H.R. 4638. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 556, H.R. 1958, and H.R. 4638 under a closed rule. The resolution provides for one hour of general debate and one motion to recommit on each bill.
  11. Mar 17, 2026 · HouseRule H. Res. 1115 passed House.
  12. Mar 19, 2026 · HouseConsidered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 1115. (consideration: CR H2600-2606)
  13. Mar 19, 2026 · HouseRule provides for consideration of H.R. 556, H.R. 1958 and H.R. 4638. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 556, H.R. 1958, and H.R. 4638 under a closed rule. The resolution provides for one hour of general debate and one motion to recommit on each bill.
  14. Mar 19, 2026 · HouseDEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 4638.
  15. Mar 19, 2026 · HouseThe previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
  16. Mar 19, 2026Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 228 - 190 (Roll no. 96). (text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR H2600)House · Roll call 96
  17. Mar 19, 2026 · HouseOn passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 228 - 190 (Roll no. 96). (text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR H2600)House · Roll call 96
  18. Mar 19, 2026 · HouseMotion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  19. Mar 19, 2026 · SenateReceived in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

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.

Who lobbied on it

Organizations whose lobbying reports (LD-2) name this measure. Spending is what they reported for those quarters on all issues, not on this measure alone.

  1. SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER, INC.2 reports
    $930K reported (all issues)
  2. Federation for American Immigration Reform1 report
    $44K reported (all issues)
  3. NATIONAL IMMIGRATION LAW CENTER (NILC)1 report
    $10K reported (all issues)
  4. Service Employees International Union CTW-CLC1 report
    $300K reported (all issues)

Reports filed in 2025, 2026.

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 6, 2026 · loaded Oct 6, 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 6, 2026 · loaded Oct 6, 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.
  • Money and votes are shown side by side; neither explains the other.