Supporting Our Shelters Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 5020 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 5020 To amend the Animal Welfare Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program under which the Secretary will award grants to entities for purposes of supporting the capability of such entities to provide care to animals in their care, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES August 22, 2025 Ms. Escobar (for herself, Ms. Garcia of Texas, and Mr. Krishnamoorthi) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Animal Welfare Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program under which the Secretary will award grants to entities for purposes of supporting the capability of such entities to provide care to animals in their care, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Supporting Our Shelters Act''. SEC. 2. GRANTS TO SUPPORT ANIMAL SHELTERS. Section 28 of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2158) is amended by striking subsection (d) and inserting the following: ``(d) Grants To Support Animal Shelters.-- ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a program under which the Secretary will award grants to entities described in subsection (a)(2) for purposes of supporting the capability of such entities to provide care to animals in their care, including feeding, sheltering, veterinary care, recreational activities, and the hiring, training, and retention of staff to provide such care. ``(2) Term.--The term of a grant under this subsection shall not exceed 3 years. Such term is renewable if the grantee submits a report to t