The death of Michael Jackson may have eclipsed news of similar import: Gidget, the Taco Bell Chihuahua, has died at the age of fifteen.

Whether in response to this national tragedy or not, a bill has been introduced in Congress that could help avert such crises in the future. H.R. 3501 would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a deduction for pet care expenses.

The bill text hasn’t been made available, so it’s unclear what restrictions there might be, say, to prevent ‘cat ladies’ from deducting their entire, very low income. And are cats even pets? So many of them just come and go as they please. Further analysis of the legislation is clearly warranted.

But that’s your Congress at work!

Here’s the current vote on H.R. 3501. Click to vote, comment, learn more, or edit the wiki article on the bill.