Both the House and Senate passed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006 in late September.
The Katrina-inspired legislation, which had not yet been signed by President Bush at deadline, essentially requires that disaster relief and emergency management agencies consider pets and service animals in disaster relief planning.
The legislation also authorizes, but does not require, funding for animal emergency preparedness purposes, including “the procurement, construction, leasing or renovating of emergency shelter facilities and materials that will accommodate people with pets and service animals.