National Service Animals Memorial bill passed, signed into law by President Biden

The nation’s service animals and their handlers are a major step closer to long overdue and much-deserved national recognition, thanks to bipartisan legislation signed into law by President Biden.

Included in the recently passed Omnibus for the 2023 Appropriations Bill is a small gem that requires no federal funds to be used. The National Service Animals Monument, Inc. (NSAM) is proud to announce the passage of the National Service Animals Memorial Act, which will allow the organization to move forward with its plans to create a memorial in the Washington, D.C. area to honor these servants of humankind.

“We consider the service animals to be national treasures as they, with their handlers, provide safety, security and independence to all our citizens,” said Theresa M. Brandon, President of the Board of Directors.

From working dogs and assistance animals to war horses and dolphins, the monument will honor all service animals and their handlers, and inform visitors of their historical significance. For more information about the legislative update, please go here: https://nationalserviceanimalsmonument.org/

Following the bill’s introduction one year ago on Jan. 4, 2022, NSAM has worked tirelessly along with a bipartisan array of public servants, including sponsors Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Representatives Susan Wild (D-PA) and Nancy Mace (R-SC) and their legislative staffs.

Selected artist Susan Bahary is the visionary behind the memorial. Under the leadership of Brandon and the group's many allies who worked tirelessly during the past 18 months, the back story and impetus for this project goes back in history to Guam. To read more about this back story, go here: https://nationalserviceanimalsmonument.org/a-shared-history-a-trajectory-to-take-the-hill/