Bill > S897

Introduced Session

This bill stipulates that a non-profit organization that trains a disabled veteran assistance dog is prohibited from operating in this State unless the organization annually registers with the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety. As used in the bill: "disabled veteran assistance dog" means a service dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a veteran with a disability. Under the bill, a non-profit organization registered with the division is to provide every disabled veteran assistance dog the organization trains, upon request of the handler of the disabled veteran assistance dog, with a vest or harness that identifies the dog as a working animal, if requested by the dog's handler. The vest or harness is to: (1) be labeled, in clearly visible block letters, with the words "DISABLED VETERAN ASSISTANCE DOG" or the acronym of "DVAD"; (2) be printed or decorated with an identifiable logo or symbol, developed by the organization, denoting the dog as a disabled veteran assistance dog; or (3) have a patch decorated with the logo or symbol developed by the organization affixed to it. The vest or harness may be worn by a disabled veteran assistance dog whenever the dog accompanies its handler, defined in the bill as a veteran with a disability, in any place where the general public is allowed. The organization training a disabled veteran assistance dog will additionally, upon request by the dog's handler, provide the handler with an identification card that includes an identifiable logo or symbol providing: (1) the name of the handler; (2) the name and breed of the disabled veteran assistance dog; (3) the name of the organization that trained dog; and (d) any other information the organization deems appropriate for identification purposes. The bill requires the division to adopt requirements that a non-profit service dog training organization must meet in order to train disabled veteran assistance dogs in the State. The bill provides that it is an unlawful practice and a violation of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act for any organization to violate any provision of the bill.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Jim Beach (D)*,  Mike Testa (R)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee (on 01/13/2026)

Official Document