AVMA entities continued, altered, or sunset -

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Following the recommendations of the Governance Performance Review Committee, the Executive Board approved continuation of several AVMA entities.

The board has charged the GPRC with conducting regularly scheduled, in-depth performance evaluations of all AVMA councils and committees, then making recommendations regarding their continuation, sunsetting, or restructuring.

Following are entities that were extended without change: Animal Agriculture Liaison Committee, American Board of Veterinary Specialties, Aquatic Veterinary Medicine Committee, Convention Meeting and Program Committee, Legislative Advisory Committee, and Council on Education.

"Based on its findings and subsequent deliberation, the GPRC believes that each entity is of value to the AVMA and recommends continuation," the GPRC wrote in its proposal.

Actions affecting several other AVMA councils and committees were postponed until the April Executive Board meeting.

The board approved a proposal to sunset the Steering Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance in July of 2005. The committee was initially established as a task force at the request from the Food and Drug Administration. The agency had requested that the AVMA take the initiative in preventing the promulgation of rules that would severely limit the use of antimicrobials by veterinarians.

Having met its charge, the steering committee should be sunset, according to the GPRC. But Executive Board member Dr. Robert E. Hertzog worried that such a step would appear as if the AVMA were abandoning the issue of antimicrobial resistance altogether.

While agreeing with his concern, board member and GPRC liaison, Dr. Gregory S. Hammer, said that any new questions about antimicrobial resistance would fall under the purview of the Food Safety Advisory Committee, although AVMA staff noted that some new issues involve companion animals, so additional AVMA councils and committees will need to be involved. In the end, the board approved the GPRC proposal.

In addition, the board authorized sunsetting the Committee on Veterinary Medical Informatics at the end of 2005. The GPRC believed that this entity has also met its charge.

Continuation of the Strategic Planning Committee with an in-depth performance evaluation in 2005 was approved, as well.

The board approved continuation of the AVMA/American Society of Veterinary Medical Association Executives Joint Committee, with modification to the terms served by Executive Board members. Members will now be appointed to two-year terms, rather than one-year terms.

The AVMA/Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges Joint Committee was continued but with changes to the AVMA's representation on the committee. Instead of a member from the Executive Board and House of Delegates and a member-at-large, the Association will now be represented on the committee by the AVMA president, president-elect, and immediate past president.

The board approved a recommendation to continue the Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities, with a modification to its structure by deleting the position representing the Council on Veterinary Service and adding one at-large and two veterinary technician positions.

A proposal to continue the Veterinary Leadership Conference Planning Committee with modification to its membership by deleting the Council on Public Relations representation was approved.

The governance committee had recommended continuation of the Animal Welfare Committee. Board members disapproved that plan, however, because of their decision to replace the committee with the new Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (see page 165).

As recommended by the GPRC, the Executive Board approved the initiation of an AVMA Bylaws change to rename the Council on Public Relations as the Council on Communications. This would provide an overarching direction for all communications efforts.