The bill, known as the "Providing Emotional Assistance with Relief and Love Act" or the "PEARL Act," mandates a pilot program requiring the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a program enabling the training of support dogs for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. This pilot program involves adopting dogs from local animal shelters and training them as support dogs for the CBP's Support Canine Program. The program must be operational within 60 days of the Act's enactment and will continue for three years after it's established.
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.