Veterinarian Services Investment Act Introduced in Congress

By Gina Luke, Assistant Director of the GRD

The Veterinarian Services Investment Act, (H.R. 3519), which will help states address their most pressing veterinary workforce needs, was introduced on July 31 in the U.S. House of Representatives by congressmen Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Leonard Boswell (D-IA). The bill was referred to the Agriculture Committee. A companion bill to H.R. 3519 will be introduced in September in the U.S. Senate and will be sponsored by Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and John Thune (R-SD).

The AVMA Governmental Relations Team worked closely with Congress to draft the legislation and continues to recruit cosponsors for the bill. Additionally, AVMA's market research within the Communications Division provided crucial original research and statistics as supporting justification.

HR 3519 would establish a new grant program under the jurisdiction of the USDA to assist states in addressing their own unique veterinary workforce needs. After all, what is needed in one state may differ greatly from what is most needed in another. Awards under the new grant program may be used to support a wide array of activities including to recruit and retain practicing veterinarians and veterinary technicians to work in underserved areas, to bolter knowledge in food safety/protection and food animal medicine all along the veterinary continuum from students to veterinarians in practice, to establish mobile and portable veterinary clinics, to conduct the assessments that will be needed to designate veterinary shortage situations, for surveillance of food animal disease; to establish or expand veterinary residency, internship and externship programs, and to provide continuation to veterinarians.

Eligible to apply for a grant under the new program are for-profit and nonprofit veterinary clinics located in rural areas, state veterinary medical associations, national, allied, or regional veterinary organizations and specialty boards recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association; colleges of veterinary medicine, university research and veterinary medical foundations, departments of veterinary science or comparative medicine, state agricultural experiment stations, and state, local or tribal government agencies.

Veterinarians and veterinary students are urged to visit the AVMA Congressional Advocacy Network Government Action Center, avmacan.avma.org, to contact elected officials in the U.S. House of Representatives to ask them to cosponsor H.R. 3519. Every member of Congress needs to be urged to cosponsor the bill -- except for the 19 elected officials that have already endorsed the bill. Veterinarians living in 19 districts should personally acknowledge and thank the following members who are already supporting the bill: Rep. Adrian Smith R-NE-3, Joe Baca, D-CA-43; Leonard Boswell D-IA-3; Michael Conaway R-TX-11; Tim Holden D-PA-17; Tom Latham R-IA-4; Robert Latta R-OH-5; Frank Lucas R-OK-3; Blaine Luetkemeyer R-MO-9; Cynthia Lummis R-WY; Eric Massa D-NY-29; Mike McIntyre D-NC-7; Randy Neugebauer R-TX-19; Mike Rogers R-AL-3; Aaron Schock R-IL-18; Kurt Schrader D-OR-5; Mike Simpson R-ID-2; Mac Thornberry R-TX-13; and Timothy Walz D-MN-1.

Take action now: http://avmacan.avma.org/avma/issues/alert/?alertid=13828441

For more information, please contact Gina Luke at gluke@avma.org.