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Bill

HB 300

Vet Care for Retired First Responder Dogs.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Eric Ager and 41 co-sponsors

Creates a state program to reimburse private owners of retired first responder dogs for eligible veterinary care (up to $1,500 per dog per year), via DPS registration and claims.

Reptd Fav Com Substitute
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 300

HB 300 — “Vet Care for Retired First Responder Dogs” — Summary

Status (latest): Committee substitute reported favorably (Reptd. Fav. Com. Substitute / Committee Substitute Favorable 4/1/2025). Pending further legislative action.

Main purpose

Establish a statewide program to reimburse private owners of retired first responder canines for eligible veterinary care costs, in recognition of hazardous public service those animals provided while employed by public safety units.

Key provisions

  • Creates a new Article (Article 12I) in Chapter 143 (State Government) authorizing veterinary care reimbursements for eligible retired first responder canines.
  • Reimbursement limit: up to $1,500 per retired canine in a State fiscal year.
  • Eligible veterinary services (non‑exhaustive): annual wellness exams, vaccinations, parasite prevention, testing/treatment of illnesses, medications, emergency care and surgeries, specialty care (including oncology), euthanasia, and cremation.
  • Registration requirements:
    • Covered first responder units (law enforcement agencies, fire departments, correctional agencies) must register a canine with the Department of Public Safety (DPS) upon the canine’s retirement. Registration must verify ownership by the covered unit, retirement date, and the canine’s identifying details.
    • The new private owner who seeks reimbursement must separately register with DPS and provide proof of ownership and a copy of the unit’s retired‑canine certification.
    • DPS issues certification of registration to the covered unit and the owner.
  • Application and documentation:
    • Reimbursement applications must be submitted to DPS on a form the Department creates and must include an itemized veterinarian statement showing services, dates, costs, veterinarian contact information, and confirmation the owner paid the charges.
    • Applications must be filed within 90 days of the veterinary care date.
  • Denial grounds: nonregistration of canine or owner; incomplete or false application information; owner already received the maximum reimbursement for the fiscal year; program funds for the fiscal year exhausted.
  • Administrative provisions:
    • Establishes the “Retired First Responder Canine Fund” within DPS to receive and disburse monies for reimbursements. Monies in the Fund do not revert.
    • DPS authorized to adopt rules necessary to implement the program.

Eligibility (high‑level)

  • Canine must have retired on or after July 1, 2024.
  • Prior to retirement, the canine must have been owned by a covered first responder unit principally for duties such as detection, law enforcement support, apprehension, accelerants/explosives/narcotics detection, or search and rescue.
  • The canine must have received certification in relevant disciplines (obedience, detection, apprehension, or search & rescue) from a nationally recognized certifying organization.

Who is affected

  • Primary beneficiaries: private owners of retired first responder canines who meet registration and documentation requirements.
  • Covered units (law enforcement, fire, correctional): must register retiring canines and provide certification to owners.
  • DPS: responsible for program administration, rulemaking, registration, and processing reimbursements.
  • Veterinarians: provide required itemized billing to owners for submission.

Fiscal/administrative implications

  • The bill sets a per‑dog cap ($1,500/year) but does not specify a funding appropriation in the text; total state cost will depend on: number of eligible retired canines, uptake by owners, and whether an appropriation is made to capitalize the Fund.
  • Administrative costs for DPS to operate the program (staff time, IT/signup systems, claims processing, rule promulgation) would be additional and depend on program scale.

Procedural/timeline notes

  • Registration and reimbursement timelines are immediate once DPS implements rules; applications must be submitted within 90 days of each veterinary service date.
  • The statutory retirement-date eligibility cutoff is July 1, 2024 — only canines retiring on or after that date are eligible.

Practical considerations / open issues

  • Aggregate program cost is uncertain without an appropriation or estimate of eligible animals.
  • The bill requires covered units to register canines at retirement, which may necessitate administrative changes at local agencies.
  • DPS rulemaking will determine operational details (forms, verification standards, claims processing procedures, and Fund capitalization).

This summary highlights the substantive elements of HB 300 and the program it would create. If you want, I can prepare a short implementation checklist for DPS or a cost‑estimate template showing how to model annual program expenses given different participation rates.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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