Homeward Bound Act
Latest action. Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Homeward Bound Act
This bill allows dogs under six months of age, and dogs without microchips born before the bill becomes law, to be imported into the United States from low-risk countries for rabies. The bill delays the applicability of new requirements on importing dogs for certain government personnel importing dogs from low-risk countries, and for service animals imported from low-risk countries.
On May 13, 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a rule adding new requirements for importing dogs to prevent the reintroduction and spread of rabies. The rule, among other things, requires that every dog imported into the United States must be at least six months of age and must have a microchip implanted. The bill requires the CDC to revise the rule so that dogs of any age may be imported from low-risk countries for rabies, and so that dogs imported from low-risk countries do not need a microchip if born before the bill becomes law.
In addition, the bill delays the applicability of the rule by 18 months for (1) members of the Armed Forces stationed in a foreign country, personnel serving at a diplomatic or consular post, and their families seeking to import a dog from a low-risk country; and (2) individuals seeking to import service animals from low-risk countries.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on September 19, 2024. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on September 19, 2024: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) introduced it on September 19, 2024, and 15 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 5 Democrats, 10 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on September 19, 2024, 721 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 721 days ago, on September 19, 2024.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 118th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2025 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers