,i  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #debd  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,april #cj1 #bjad    
,ms4 ,titus 7for herself and ,mr4       
,moran7 introduced the following bill2  
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,agriculture  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend the  
,animal ,welfare ,act to require that   
covered persons develop and implement   
emergency contingency plans4  #a4 ,short
 ,title ,this ,act may be cited as the  
,animal ,emergency ,planning ,act of    
#bjad4  #b4 ,findings ,congress makes   
the following findings3  7#a7           
,hurricanes ,katrina and ,sandy1 as well
 as other recent natural and man-made   
disasters1 have highlighted the need for
 planning to minimize the impact of     
disasters4  7#b7 ,lack of preparedness  
in times of disaster can have especially
 devastating effects on animals and the 
people who risk their lives to protect  
them4  7#c7 ,local first-responders1    
non-governmental agencies1 and private  
individuals most often shoulder the cost

 and responsibility of animals affected 
by disasters4  7#d7 ,it is reasonable to
 ask those who use animals commercially 
to demonstrate a level of readiness to  
protect the animals under their care4   
#c4 ,requirement that covered entities  
develop and implement emergency         
contingency plans  7a7 ,in ,general ,the
 ,animal ,welfare ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4    
#baca et seq47 is amended by adding at  
the end the following3  #cj4 ,animal    
,emergency ,planning  7a7 ,covered      
,person ,for purposes of this section1  
the term covered person means a research
 facility1 dealer1 exhibitor1           
intermediate handler1 carrier1 or       
,federal research facility4  7b7        
,contingency ,plan ,each covered person 
shall develop1 document1 and follow a   
contingency plan to provide for the     
humane handling1 treatment1             
transportation1 housing1 and care of its
 animals in the event of an emergency or
 disaster4 ,such a contingency plan     
shall--  7#a7 identify situations that  

the covered person might experience1    
including natural disasters and         
emergencies such as electrical outages1 
faulty ,,hvac systems1 fires1 mechanical
 breakdowns1 and animal escapes1 that   
would trigger the need for the measures 
identified in the contingency plan to be
 put into action2  7#b7 outline specific
 tasks to be carried out in response to 
the identified emergencies or disasters1
 including detailed animal evacuation or
 shelter-in-place instructions and      
provisions for providing backup sources 
of food and water as well as sanitation1
 ventilation1 bedding1 and veterinary   
care2  7#c7 establish a chain of command
 and identify the individuals           
responsible for fulfilling the tasks    
described in paragraph 7#b72 and  7#d7  
address how response and recovery will  
be handled in terms of materials1       
resources1 and training needed4  7c7    
,annual ,review ,each covered person    
shall--  7#a7 review its contingency    
plan on at least an annual basis to     

ensure that it adequately addresses the 
criteria described in subsection 7b72   
and  7#b7 maintain documentation of the 
annual reviews and any amendments or    
changes made to its contingency plan    
since the previous year's review4  7d7  
,training ,each covered person shall--  
7#a7 train its personnel in their roles 
and responsibilities as outlined in the 
contingency plan2  7#b7 communicate any 
changes in the contingency plan to      
personnel through training within #cj   
days after making the changes2 and  7#c7
 maintain documentation of its          
personnel's participation in and        
successful completion of the training   
required by this subsection4  7e7       
,availability of ,documentation  7#a7   
,in ,general ,each covered person shall 
submit its contingency plan1 as well as 
any documentation described in          
subsections 7c77#b7 and 7d77#c71 to the 
,secretary annually4  7#b7 ,while       
,traveling ,a covered person engaged in 
travel must carry a copy of its         

contingency plan with it at all times   
and make it available for inspection by 
the ,secretary while in travel status4  
4  7b7 ,regulations  7#a7 ,not later    
than #cj days after the date of         
enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary  
of ,agriculture of the ,united ,states  
shall promulgate such regulations as the
 ,secretary determines to be necessary  
to carry out section #cj of the ,animal 
,welfare ,act1 as added by subsection   
7a7 of this ,act4  7#b7 ,the regulations
 described in paragraph 7#a7 shall be   
made without regard to the rulemaking   
procedures under section #eec of title  
#e1 ,united ,states ,code4  7c7 ,no     
,preemption ,nothing in this ,act or the
 amendments made by this ,act preempts  
any law 7including a regulation7 of a   
,state1 or a political subdivision of a 
,state1 containing requirements that    
provide equivalent or greater protection
 for animals than the requirements of   
this ,act or the amendments made by this
 ,act4  7d7 ,effective ,date ,the       

amendments made by subsection 7a7 shall 
apply to covered persons 7as defined in 
such subsection7 beginning on the date  
that is #cj days after the date of      
enactment of this ,act4