Representative Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) is celebrating the successful updating of federal guidelines on the use of service dogs in laboratories and research facilities that have hampered scientists with disabilities.
Since 2024, after a constituent named Joey Ramp-Adams of Tombstone brought it to his attention, Rep. Ciscomani has urged the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to update and clarify rules governing service dogs in laboratory and research settings.
The new rule now states that "animals and plants not associated with the work being performed are not permitted in the laboratory; service dogs may be an exception based on an individualized risk assessment."
In addition to ensuring that individualized risk assessments are the standard for determining the allowance of service dogs in laboratories and research facilities, the new rule is not a regulation and must be applied in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.
"After meeting with a constituent and working closely together on this issue, it became clear that individuals who rely on service dogs to study or work in laboratories should not face discrimination because of their disabilities," Rep. Ciscomani said in a press release. "Whether due to a lifelong condition or a newly acquired need, no one should be forced to put their career on hold because of unclear or overly restrictive guidance. This commonsense change helps expand access and opportunity in the scientific field."
In February, the Arizona congressman celebrated the passage of his Ensuring Access to Medicaid Buy-in Programs Act into law, which will allow disabled workers to continue their careers past age 65 without sacrificing critical healthcare benefits.
The bill solves an unfair dilemma that older Americans who choose to keep working faced: Medicaid offers a buy-in option that lets employed adults with disabilities maintain coverage, but this had an age cap of 64.
