# H.R. 4638 (119th): Bill to Outlaw Wounding of Official Working Animals Act or the BOWOW Act

Bill to Outlaw Wounding of Official Working Animals Act or the BOWOW Act This bill establishes that a non-U.S. national ( alien under federal law) convicted of, or who admits to having committed, an offense related to harming animals used in law enforcement is inadmissible and deportable.

## How this bill is scored

Tier: no Tier 1 record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Lane: animal_cruelty. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: animal_welfare. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: immigration. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: law_enforcement. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: unclear. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Tier 1 sign-off: no record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Stored polarity: good. A yea supports the bill. A nay is the penalized direction when the tag is scored as a protection. A yea on a credit tag is a credit.
Roll 96: On Passage. Vote type: final_passage.
Polarity rationale: Reviewed enrichment (llm_import) polarity: The operative text directly targets a concrete harm, wounding or harming animals used in law enforcement, and attaches a consequence to convicted or admitted offenders. This restrains a named cruelty rather than advancing one. The deportation mechanism is a prudential policy choice, which tempers confidence but does not change the measure's direction.
Theological note: Scripture grounds human stewardship over animals in creation and forbids cruelty toward them (Proverbs 12:10), so protecting working animals from deliberate harm touches a real moral concern. The bill's immigration consequence is a prudential governance tool whose justice depends on general equity and due process in its application.

## Recorded votes

Roll 96: On Passage. Yea 228 · Nay 190 · Other 14.

HTML: https://justmeasure.org/bill/hr-4638-119/