Domestic Explosives Detection Canine Capacity Building Act of 2017

Domestic Explosives Detection Canine Capacity Building Act of 2017

(Sec. 3) This bill directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to establish a working group to determine ways to develop a decentralized domestic canine breeding network to produce high quality explosives detection canines and modernize canine training standards.

The working group shall be comprised of representatives from the TSA, the Science and Technology Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), national domestic canine associations with expertise in breeding and pedigree, universities with expertise related to explosives detection canines and canine breeding, and domestic canine breeders and vendors.

The working group shall submit to the TSA preliminary behavioral standards, medical standards, and technical standards for the domestic canine breeding network and canine training, including recommendations on how the TSA can engage stakeholders to further the development of such network and training. The TSA shall submit a strategy for expanding the network based on such recommendations.

The TSA, in developing the strategy, must consult with other DHS officials to incorporate mission needs across DHS for an expanded domestic explosives detection canine breeding network that can be leveraged to help meet DHS's operational needs. The working group shall terminate two years after submitting the strategy.

(Sec. 4) The TSA shall issue baseline behavioral standards, medical standards, and technical standards for explosives detection canines. Such standards shall be incorporated into all statements of work for the TSA explosives detection canine contracts and reflect the detection capabilities required to effectively mitigate terrorist threats.

(Sec. 5) The requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act shall not apply to the working group.