Description:
H.R. 1480 would authorize the National Detector Dog Training Center, through fiscal year 2028, to train dogs and their handlers to detect invasive pests and diseases that could harm domestic agricultural and natural resources. The center would be required to maintain the health of dogs under its care and allow private adoption of animals that are not in service. The bill also would require the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to report to the Congress within a year of enactment on current and emerging threats to domestic agricultural and natural resources posed by foreign pests and diseases, review the center’s progress, and recommend improvements for the center’s performance. The center, which was established in 1984, is funded primarily by user fees that cover more than 90 percent of its operations. Those fees and associated spending are recorded in the budget as direct spending. Because H.R. 1480 would not change the funding structure for the center, CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1480 would not affect direct spending. Because the bill would not materially change the activities of the center, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 1480 would cost less than $500,000, primarily for the report. Any spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
