1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Animal Emergency Planning Act of 2017 . 2. Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) Recent natural and man-made disasters have highlighted the need for planning to minimize the impact of disasters. (2) Lack of preparedness in times of disaster can have especially devastating effects on animals and the people who risk their lives to protect them. (3) Local first-responders, nongovernmental agencies, and private individuals most often shoulder the cost and responsibility of animals affected by disasters. (4) It is reasonable to ask those who use animals commercially to demonstrate a level of readiness to protect the animals under their care. 3. Requirement that covered entities develop and implement emergency contingency plans (a) In General The Animal Welfare Act ( 7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 30. Animal Emergency Planning (a) Covered Person For purposes of this section, the term covered person means a research facility, dealer, exhibitor, intermediate handler, carrier, or Federal research facility. (b) Contingency Plan Each covered person shall develop, document, and follow a contingency plan to provide for the humane handling, treatment, transportation, housing, and care of its animals in the event of an emergency or disaster. Such a contingency plan shall— (1) identify situations that the covered person might experience, including natural disasters and emergencies such as electrical outages, faulty HVAC systems, fires, mechanical breakdowns, and animal escapes, that would trigger the need for the measures identified in the contingency plan to be put into action; (2) outline specific tasks to be carried out in response to the identified emergencies or disasters, including detailed animal evacuation or shelter-in-place instructions and provisions for providing backup sources of food and water as well as sanitation, ventilation, bedding, and veterinary care