FACT SHEET: 
The Bring Animals Relief and Kibble (BARK) Act 

 Endorsed by: Animal Welfare Institute, Humane Society Legislation Fund, Best Friends Animal Society, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), and the Humane Rescue Alliance 

 

Cosponsors in the 117th Congress: Blumenauer, Cardenas, Cohen, Davids, Dean, Escobar, Fitzpatrick, Harder, Hayes, Houlahan, Huffman, Kim (Young)*, Lieu, Mace, Malinowski, Carolyn Maloney, McBath*, McCollum, McKinley, Nadler, Neguse, Newman, Norton, Pappas, Pocan, Posey, Quigley, Ross, Roybal-Allard, Salazar, Scanlon, Schiff, Smith (Adam), Soto, Speier, Takano, Tenney, Titus, Trone, Upton*, Welch 

 

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We invite you to join us as an original cosponsor of the Bring Animals Relief and Kibble (BARK) Act. This bipartisan bill aims to encourage charitable donations of pet food and supplies to animal shelters by waiving donor liability, which is frequently cited by retailers as an obstacle and deterrent to their donating large amounts of pet food to nonprofits. 

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In recent years, animal shelters all around the country have been confronting extreme difficulties and hardships. Many shelters and rescues face overcrowding, understaffing, as well as concerns about running low on pet food. Even as shelters across the country are struggling to feed animals under their care, many stores are discarding pet food that is perfectly safe for pet consumption. Pet retailers toss out food that is approaching its “best by date,” which is the manufacturer’s guarantee of freshness rather than an indicator of food safety. Out of an abundance of caution, stores throw it away rather than donating it due to concerns about legal liability. 

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In 1996, Congress passed the bipartisan Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act of 1996 (Emerson Act) to provide criminal and civil liability protection to people and businesses that make good faith donations of food to nonprofits serving needy individuals. The BARK Act would do the same thing for animals at pet shelters by amending the Emerson Act to include donations of pet food and supplies. 

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Please join us in this exciting bipartisan effort to support animal shelters, which are overwhelmed with need. 

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