[1] Introduced by Congressmen Tom Lantos (D-California) and Christopher Shays (R-Connecticut) on September 22, 2005, the bill passed the House of Representatives on May 22, 2006, by a margin of 349 to 29.
[5] In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Bush administration conducted a review of public relief efforts and where the infrastructure in place at the time failed.
"[9] On the congressional record for the bill, he explained more fully:The scene from New Orleans of a 9-year-old little boy crying because he was not allowed to take his little white dog Snowball was too much to bear.
As I watched the images of the heartbreaking choices the gulf residents had to make, I was moved to find a way to prevent this from ever happening again.
[11][12] The issue raised questions of class concern, as animal welfare activist noted in the Washington Post that some hotels who took in evacuees allowed customers to bring their pets, but those forced to rely on public assistance had no options.
[13] One particular case that garnered widespread attention was that of "Snowball", a small white dog made famous by Associated Press' coverage of the evacuation of the New Orleans Louisiana Superdome.
Foster reported that "Pets were not allowed on the bus, and when a police officer confiscated a little boy's dog, the child cried until he vomited.
[14] On September 6, 2005, USA Today reported that Terry Conger, a veterinarian and information officer for the Incident Command Center that coordinated animal rescue efforts in Louisiana, said state veterinary officers had confirmed that Snowball is safe in a Louisiana shelter and that his owner had been located in Texas.