House panel OK’s IDs for service dogs

LANSING – Persons with disabilities, including those with post-traumatic stress disorder and other disabilities related to military service, can obtain tags, identification, and vests for their service dogs through the state Department of Civil Rights under a bill approved Thursday by the state House Military & Veterans Affairs Committee.

House Bill 4521 requires the department to offer the service dog identification but doesn’t require individuals to obtain it. It also adds the service-related disabilities to the definition of “persons with a disability” and matches the state definition of “service animal” to the U.S. Department of Justice definition.

State Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Potterville, a helicopter pilot in the National Guard and chairman of the committee, sponsored the legislation after an Eaton County military veteran, Jerome “Smitty” Smith, said he was told to leave a restaurant for bringing his service dog, Jo Jo, inside.

The bill now goes to the full House for consideration.