S. 4079 · On the floor · Immigration

PEARL Act

Sponsor: Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)

What it does

• Requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection to establish a pilot program to adopt dogs from local animal shelters.
• Directs CBP to train adopted dogs as support canines for grief assistance, trauma mitigation, and morale support.
• Mandates that adopted shelter dogs be used in CBP's Support Canine Program rather than sourcing dogs through other channels.

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 14, 2026: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 569.

Committee: Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs