Sherrill, Stivers Deliver Unanimous Passage of Veterans Service Dog Bill

February 7, 2020 by Dan McCue
Sherrill, Stivers Deliver Unanimous Passage of Veterans Service Dog Bill
Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Ohio, and Rep, Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., who championed passage of a bill in the House creating a pilot program to teach veterans service dog training as a form of therapy. (Photo by Dan McCue)

WASHINGTON – Proving that acrimony wasn’t the only emotion felt on Capitol Hill this week, Reps. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J. and Steve Stivers, R-Ohio delivered a unanimous House vote Wednesday in favor of granting access to treatment derived from working with service dogs.

Though the name of the H.R. 4305 is a mouthful — the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) for Veterans Therapy Act — Sherrill told reporters gathered in the Rayburn Room of the Capitol Wednesday, the need being addressed is easy to understand.

“Too many of the men and women who serve our country return home with unseen trauma,” the  former Navy pilot said.

“Service dogs soothe the invisible wounds of war,” she added.

Standing alongside Sherrill was Rep. Steve Stivers, the Ohio Republican who was the main sponsor of the bill.

The night before passage of the Paws Act, Stivers had hosted Vietnam veteran Walter Parker and service dog, Jackson, at President Trump’s State of the Union address.

Parker suffers from PTSD. Stivers, a brigadier general in the Ohio National Guard, saw military service in Iraq.

“A soldier under my command during Operation Iraqi Freedom recently told me what his service dog means to him: he was able to fly on a plane for the first time in 10 years and he took his fiancée to dinner,” Stivers said. “That is the impact this bill can have on the lives of our veterans.”

Stivers went on to say he believes therapy dogs will have a profound effect on reducing the number of veterans’ suicides, which he said average 20 a day.

“Researchers, doctors, and veterans report the same thing: service dogs are a transformational form of therapy for our veterans with PTSD,” Sherrill agreed.

“Service dogs help create bonds of trust and love with veterans, soothing the invisible wounds of war. Right now, it is incredibly expensive and difficult for veterans to access the care that service dogs can provide,” she continued.

Turning to Stivers, beaming, she added, “I’m proud that the House overwhelmingly supported this mission-based therapy and I thank Representative Stivers for his tireless leadership on this issue. We were able to get more than 300 co-sponsors for this bill — proof that we can work together to make sure veterans get the treatment they deserve.”

The Paws Act directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to partner with non-profit organizations working with veterans and service dogs to create work-therapy programs wherein veterans learn the art and science of training dogs. 

Upon completion of the program, the veterans may adopt their dogs to provide continuing therapy.

Both Sherill and Stivers were tireless in their efforts to garner as much bipartisan support for the bill as they could.

In November, Sherrill hosted a screening at the U.S. Capitol of “To Be of Service,” a documentary that highlights the transformational relationship between veterans and their service dogs.

Afterwards, she had the veterans featured in the film speak about their experiences and call on Congress to pass the PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act.

To engage her House colleagues, Sherrill would approach them with a card featuring a picture of a Golden Retriever puppy.

She would then explain how the bill would provide real help to many veterans, and would close by saying “it’s something we really owe them.”

The Senate version of the bill is currently pending in the chamber’s Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

Stivers said he hopes it will be approved without delay, though he noted that when a similar bill passed the House two years ago, the Senate failed to follow suit.

Not that the bipartisan duo would let up if the same thing happened this time.

“As veterans, we’re very mission-focused,” Sherrill said.

A+
a-
  • Mikie Sherrill
  • service dogs
  • Steve Stivers
  • veterans
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    In The News

    March 28, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Silicon Valley-Based Firm Launches ‘Radar as a Service’

    BELMONT, Calif. — At first the idea sounds about as un-Silicon Valley as one can get. After all, the basic... Read More

    BELMONT, Calif. — At first the idea sounds about as un-Silicon Valley as one can get. After all, the basic concept underlying radar was proven in 1886, when a German physicist named Heinrich Hertz showed that radio waves could be reflected from solid objects. And the... Read More

    March 28, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Elections Task Force Prosecutes 2020 ‘Vigilantes,’ Seeks More Civic Dialogue

    PHOENIX, Ariz. — A 46-year-old Ohio man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for sending death threats to... Read More

    PHOENIX, Ariz. — A 46-year-old Ohio man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for sending death threats to an Arizona election official. The sentencing of Joshua Russell, of Bucyrus, Ohio, came after he pleaded guilty to one count of making a threatening interstate communication.... Read More

    March 28, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Disney World Settles with Florida After Its Opposition to 'Don’t Say Gay' Law

    ORLANDO — The company that runs Walt Disney World reached a settlement Wednesday with appointees of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis... Read More

    ORLANDO — The company that runs Walt Disney World reached a settlement Wednesday with appointees of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who were exerting controversial regulatory control over the huge tourism complex. The settlement resolves some of the disputes that arose after Disney officials publicly denounced the... Read More

    US Changes How It Categorizes People by Race and Ethnicity. It's the First Revision in 27 Years

    ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — For the first time in 27 years, the U.S. government is changing how it categorizes people by race and... Read More

    ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — For the first time in 27 years, the U.S. government is changing how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity, an effort that federal officials believe will more accurately count residents who identify as Hispanic and of Middle Eastern and North African heritage. The revisions... Read More

    March 28, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Vice President Harris Rolls Out First Government-Wide Policy to Mitigate AI Risks

    WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday rolled out the Biden administration’s first government-wide policy intended to mitigate the... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday rolled out the Biden administration’s first government-wide policy intended to mitigate the risks associated with artificial intelligence while still enabling its use to advance the public interest. The new policy, which is being issued through the White House... Read More

    March 27, 2024
    by TWN Staff
    Rep. Cleaver New Co-Chair of House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus

    WASHINGTON — Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., is the new Democratic co-chair of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., is the new Democratic co-chair of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus. He was invited to serve as co-chair by Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, the co-chairs of the Senate Renewable Energy and Energy... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top