Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) recently introduced a bill that would align the definition of a service animal under the Air Carriers Access Act (ACAA) with the definition under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The bill also would require federal agencies to establish a training regimen for animals who will be working on an aircraft and establish a criminal penalty for making misrepresentations about a service animal.
The ACAA prohibits discriminating against the disabled on a commercial aircraft and allows for the use of emotional support or psychiatric service animals under certain conditions. Under the ADA, accommodations are not required for animals that are solely used for comfort or emotional support and applicable service animals must be specifically trained to support people with disabilities.
“I’m proud to introduce legislation that will protect the ability of individuals and veterans with disabilities to travel with their trained service animals,” Burr said. “One doesn’t have to look far to find rampant cases of abuse where even emotional support kangaroos have been allowed to fly on planes to the detriment of fellow travelers and handlers of trained service animals. This bill will help clearly define what is a ‘service animal’ and will establish penalties for those fraudulently claiming disability needs.”
The bill is supported by Airlines for America and will minimize the health and safety risks from animals that are not properly trained, the organization said.