A Democratic bill with 2 Democratic cosponsors · See all 2 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Keeping Pets and Families Together Act amends the Animal Welfare Act to help microchip dogs and cats. It directs the Secretary of Agriculture to make cooperative agreements with State and local governments. These agreements support shelters and private animal care entities in microchipping animals before they are recovered by owners, adopted, or transferred. The bill authorizes $5,000,000 annually from 2026 through 2030. Finally, it requires a report by December 31, 2030, to assess the program's effectiveness and provide recommendations for extension.
Yes· 3 of 8
- Scored +5
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
Provides funding for microchipping at shelters, reducing the cost burden for low-income pet owners.
- Scored +3
Would middle-income households be better off under this?
Increases the likelihood of pet recovery and recovery of lost animals.
- Scored +3
Would high-income households be better off under this?
Increases the likelihood of pet recovery.
The opposite
- Scored -1
Does this reduce what the federal government owes?
The bill authorizes new government spending of $5 million annually.
- Scored -1
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?
The bill authorizes new government spending for microchipping programs.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Support for pet recovery and ownership: By supporting the microchipping of dogs and cats in shelters before they are recovered by original owners or adopted, the bill helps keep pets and families together (Section 2, SEC. 28A(a)).
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Funding for animal care entities: The bill provides authorized appropriations of $5,000,000 each year from 2026 to 2030 to support the capability of state-run, local government-run, and certain private animal shelters to provide microchipping (Section 2, SEC. 28A(a) and (d)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts for individuals or groups of people are explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Provides funding for microchipping at shelters, reducing the cost burden for low-income pet owners. Would high-income households be better off under this? — Increases the likelihood of pet recovery. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — Increases the likelihood of pet recovery and recovery of lost animals. Would children be better off under this? — Helps children keep their pets through better recovery mechanisms. Would people in middle age be better off under this? — Increases the likelihood of recovering lost pets. Would people over 65 be better off under this? — Increases the likelihood of recovering lost pets. Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this? — Increases the likelihood of recovering lost pets.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this reduce what the federal government spends? — The bill authorizes new government spending for microchipping programs. Does this reduce what the federal government owes? — The bill authorizes new government spending of $5 million annually.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this give the federal government more power? — The bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a new federal program.
- 6/25/2026
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 6/15/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Eleanor NortonDemocrat · District of Columbia
Dina TitusDemocrat · Nevada