House approves bill to promote use of more bomb-sniffing dogs

A bill that promotes the use of dogs to detect explosives was included in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Reauthorization that passed in the U.S. House of Representatives last week.

The legislation, called the Domestic Explosive Detection Canine Capacity Building Act (H.R. 4577), ensures the Department of Homeland Security will work with American breeders and the private sector to increase the volume of bomb-sniffing dogs.

“I was thrilled to see my legislation included. Working canines continue to be an essential and integral part of our national security system. These canines are not only more cost effective but more proficient at detecting explosives than any machine on the market today,” Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), the sponsor of the bill, said.

Rogers — a senior member of the House Homeland Security Committee — added that more dogs are needed because many of the canine teams are currently worked to their capacity.

The FAA reauthorization also included an update to the Screening Partnership Program (SPP). The updated language would require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to act efficiently when airports wish to use private screeners. It also would allow the airport to select their own replacement from a list of approved contractors rather than have TSA choose their own replacement.