[House Report 119-312]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
119th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session } { 119-312
=======================================================================
CBP CANINE HOME KENNELING PILOT ACT
----------------
September 26, 2025.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on
the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
----------------
Mr. Garbarino, from the Committee on Homeland Security,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 4057]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Homeland Security, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 4057) to establish a pilot program on home
kenneling of canines for U.S. Customs and Border Protections
Office of Field Operations, and for other purposes, having
considered the same, reports favorably thereon without
amendment and recommends that the bill do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
Purpose and Summary.............................................. 1
Background and Need for Legislation.............................. 2
Hearings......................................................... 3
Committee Consideration.......................................... 3
Committee Votes.................................................. 3
Committee Oversight Findings..................................... 3
C.B.O. Estimate, New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and
Tax Expenditures............................................... 3
Federal Mandates Statement....................................... 4
Duplicative Federal Programs..................................... 4
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............ 5
Congressional Earmarks, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff
Benefits....................................................... 5
Advisory Committee Statement..................................... 5
Applicability to Legislative Branch.............................. 5
Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation................... 5
PURPOSE AND SUMMARY
H.R. 4057, the ``CBP Canine Home Kenneling Pilot Act,''
seeks to establish a canine home kenneling pilot program within
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)'s Office of Field
Operations (OFO). This legislation would permit certain CBP OFO
canine handlers to house and care for their service canines at
their residence in lieu of kenneling their canines at a
facility owned or contracted by the federal government. This
bill will allow CBP to utilize the pilot program as a case
study to assess the benefits of home kenneling CBP OFO service
canines in direct comparison to the utilization of centralized
kenneling facilities and develop recommendations for the future
use of home kenneling by CBP OFO canine handlers.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
CBP maintains one of the largest and most effective law
enforcement canine programs in the world. CBP canines play an
indispensable role in detecting narcotics, currency, weapons,
explosives, concealed persons, harmful agricultural products,
and invasive species and serve as a frontline force multiplier
in the Nation's border security mission. Given their
importance, the care, housing, and training of CBP service
canines is critical to ensuring their operational readiness and
effectiveness.
``Home Kenneling'' refers to the practice of allowing CBP
canine handlers to house their assigned service canines at
their personal residences when off duty, as opposed to boarding
them at centralized kennel facilities either owned or
contracted by the federal government. Under a home kenneling
arrangement, canines live with their assigned handlers full-
time, benefiting from more personalized care, consistent
routines, and enhanced handler involvement. This practice has
been shown to strengthen the bond between the handler and
canine, resulting in improved performance in the field.
Additionally, because the canine travels with the handler
directly from home to work, operations are streamlined, and
deployments can be conducted more efficiently. CBP's U.S.
Border Patrol already home kennels all of their service
canines.
Home kenneling also produces significant cost savings to
the American taxpayer by reducing and/or eliminating the
expenses associated centralized kennel facilities.
Additionally, government vehicle usage and corresponding
expenditures are reduced as canine handlers home kenneling
their service canines can travel directly from their assigned
port of entry to their residence, eliminating a twice daily
trip to a centralized kenneling facility. By shifting
responsibility for care and housing to the handler, CBP OFO can
redirect valuable resources to other critical mission needs. At
the same time, the handler gains greater flexibility and the
ability to provide more individualized attention to the service
canine, improving health outcomes and potentially extending the
service life of the animal.
The CBP Canine Home Kenneling Pilot Act establishes a
formal pilot program to evaluate the benefits and challenges of
home kenneling across a diverse swath of CBP OFO locations
nationwide. The Act requires CBP to report to Congress on the
results of the pilot program, including a cost-benefit, job
performance, health, and wellbeing analysis comparing the use
of home kenneling with centralized kenneling practices. The
implemented reporting requirements will provide lawmakers with
greater insight into CBP OFO's canine program while promoting
accountability and congressional oversight.
The Committee on Homeland Security believes this pilot
program is a critical step toward modernizing and humanizing
CBP's canine kenneling operations. By testing, assessing, and
reporting on the practice of home kenneling, this legislation
enables CBP OFO to make data as well as experience driven
decisions about the potential enterprise-wide adoption of home
kenneling. Ultimately, the Act seeks to enhance mission
effectiveness, strengthen the relationship between handler and
canine, reduce costs, and ensure that our Nation's frontline
service canines remain the most effective and well-cared for in
the world.
HEARINGS
The Committee held the following hearings in the 119th
Congress that informed H.R. 4057:
On March 25, 2025, the Committee on Homeland Security,
Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement held a hearing
entitled ``Part 1: Consequences of Failure: How Biden's
Policies Fueled the Border Crisis'' and received testimony from
Ms. Lora Ries, Director, Border Security and Immigration
Center, The Heritage Foundation, who testified as a private
citizen; Mr. Ammon Blair, Senior Fellow, Secure and Sovereign
Texas Initiative, Texas Public Policy Foundation; Mr. Jon
Anfinsen, Executive Vice President, National Border Patrol
Council; and Mr. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, Senior Fellow,
American Immigration Council.
COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION
The Committee met on June 25, 2025, a quorum being present,
to consider H.R. 4057 and ordered the measure to be favorably
reported to the House by voice vote.
COMMITTEE VOTES
Clause 3(b) of rule XIII requires the Committee to list the
recorded votes on the motion to report legislation and
amendments thereto.
No recorded votes were requested during consideration of
H.R. 4057.
COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS
In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII, the
Committee advises that the findings and recommendations of the
Committee, based on oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1)
of rule X, are incorporated in the descriptive portions of this
report.
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE ESTIMATE, NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY,
ENTITLEMENT AUTHORITY, AND TAX EXPENDITURES
With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) of rule
XIII and section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of
1974, and with respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(3) of
rule XIII and section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of
1974, the Committee adopts as its own the estimate of any new
budget authority, spending authority, credit authority, or an
increase or decrease in revenues or tax expenditures contained
in the cost estimate prepared by the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
H.R. 4057 would require Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
to develop and implement a two- or three-year pilot program for
the home kenneling of canines at 10 or more ports of entry.
Under current law, canines that serve at ports of entry are
housed at contracted kennels. The bill would require the agency
to report to the Congress on the pilot program's implementation
within one year of enactment and assess the effectiveness of
home kenneling and make recommendations about its continued use
by the agency within 180 days of the program ending.
Using information from CBP, CBO estimates that the agency
would need $4 million to provide handlers with the equipment
necessary to house working canines and $1 million to fund
additional salaries and reporting requirements. On that basis
and incorporating an insignificant reduction in costs from
housing fewer canines in contracted kennels, CBO estimates that
implementing the bill would cost $5 million over the 2025-2030
period. Any related spending would be subject to the
availability of appropriated funds.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Sean
Christensen. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss,
Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
Phillip L. Swagel,
Director, Congressional Budget Office.
FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT
The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform
Act of 1995.
DUPLICATIVE FEDERAL PROGRAMS
Pursuant to clause 3(c) of rule XIII, the Committee finds
that H.R. 4057 does not contain any provision that establishes
or reauthorizes a program known to be duplicative of another
Federal program.
STATEMENT OF GENERAL PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the objective of
H.R. 4057 is to establish a pilot program on home kenneling of
canines for U.S. Customs and Border Protections Office of Field
Operations.
CONGRESSIONAL EARMARKS, LIMITED TAX BENEFITS,
AND LIMITED TARIFF BENEFITS
In compliance with rule XXI, this bill, as reported,
contains no congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or
limited tariff benefits as defined in clause 9(d), 9(e), or
9(f) of rule XXI.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT
No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b)
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act were created by this
legislation.
APPLICABILITY TO THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
The Committee finds that H.R. 4057 does not relate to the
terms and conditions of employment or access to public services
or accommodations within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of
the Congressional Accountability Act.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION
Section 1. Short title
This section states that the Act may be cited as the ``CBP
Canine Home Kenneling Pilot Act.''
Section 2. Pilot program on canine home kenneling program
Subsection (a) calls for the Executive Assistant
Commissioner for CBP's OFO, not later than one year following
the enactment of the Act, to establish a canine home kenneling
pilot program to assess whether home kenneling of CBP OFO
service canines would benefit OFO's canine handlers and service
canines.
Subsection (b) requires the CBP OFO Executive Assistant
Commissioner, prior to establishment of the pilot program, to
distribute written guidance for CBP OFO field offices to
utilize when implementing the pilot program. In developing the
guidance, the CBP OFO Executive Assistant Commissioner shall
consult with DHS components utilizing home kenneling of service
canines, the DHS Office of Health Security, and representatives
of the National Treasury Employees Union.
Subsection (c) requires the CBP OFO Executive Assistant
Commissioner, prior to establishing the pilot program, to carry
out the following: 1. Establish training for canine handlers
participating in the pilot program to take responsibility for
the daily care, feeding, exercise, and medical needs of their
CBP service canine; and 2. Disseminate best practices for
integrating working service canines into the CBP canine
handler's residence.
Subsection (d) requires the CBP OFO Executive Assistant
Commissioner to 1. Ensure that no fewer than ten ports of entry
participate in the pilot program; 2. Ensure that canines
assigned to seaports, airports, and land ports of entry in both
urban and rural locations participate in the pilot program; 3.
Provide for the participation of canine handlers on a voluntary
basis; 4. Continue the pilot program for no less than two
years; and 5. Terminate the pilot program no more than three
years following the establishment of the pilot program.
Subsection (e) Requires the CBP OFO Executive Assistant
Commissioner, not more than one year following the date of
enactment of this Act, to provide the appropriate congressional
committees a briefing describing guidance, training, and
requirements for the pilot program. States that not later than
180 days following the termination of the pilot program, the
CBP OFO Executive Assistant Commissioner shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a report that includes:
(A) Information related to the number and location of
participating canine teams; (B) Findings of the pilot program
to include a cost-benefit, job performance, and health and
wellbeing analysis comparing home kenneling with centralized
kenneling practices; and (C) Recommendations regarding the
continued use of home kenneling by CBP OFO.
Subsection (f) defines the appropriate congressional
committees as the House of Representatives Committee on
Homeland Security and the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate and further defines the term
``home kenneling'' to mean the practice whereby canines
utilized for Federal law enforcement purposes are housed and
cared for at the residences of their assigned handlers instead
of at a centralized facility owned or contracted by a Federal
agency.
[all]