H.R. 9327 · Passed House · Immigration

PEARL Act

Sponsor: David P. Joyce (R-OH)

What it does

• Establish a pilot program requiring U.S. Customs and Border Protection to adopt dogs from local animal shelters for training as support animals.
• Train adopted dogs to serve as support canines for grief assistance, trauma mitigation, and morale support within CBP operations.
• Direct CBP to source dogs from local animal shelters rather than external suppliers or breeders.

Official summary

Providing Emotional Assistance with Relief and Love Act or the PEARL Act This bill requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to establish a pilot program to adopt dogs from local animal shelters to be trained as support dogs for CBP’s Support Canine Program. Support dogs are used for grief assistance, trauma mitigation, and morale.

Latest action

Sep 16, 2026: Received in the Senate.

Committee: House Homeland Security