Legislative Advisory Committee

The Legislative Advisory Committee (LAC) assists the AVMA Board of Directors in formulating and implementing AVMA legislative policy and positions on federal regulatory proposals.

Charge/Objective

  • To establish one legislative voice for veterinary medicine
  • To ensure that the needs and concerns of all industries within veterinary medicine are incorporated into AVMA's legislative process
  • To define communication channels and information flow to ensure that AVMA's Government Relations Division staff is informed of the profession's needs, concerns, and positions and that information from the staff (legislative and regulatory efforts) flows back through the committee to organizations represented on the committee
  • To develop an administrative procedure to formulate AVMA policies on legislative and regulatory matters of concern to the profession, and assist the Board of Directors to formulate legislative policy and position responses to the federal regulatory process
  • To integrate the needs and concerns of the represented organizations into recommendations to the Board of Directors which represent the best interest of veterinary medicine overall
  • To assist in the implementation of the Board of Directors-approved legislative and regulatory agenda by contacting federal officials and staff via email, phone, fax and/or personal visits while in Washington, D.C., and/or the home district

Membership, method of appointment, and representation 

Each organization except the AVMA Board of Directors, AVMA PAC board, and SAVMA will submit nominations for a representative and an alternate representative. The AVMA Board of Directors will consider and appoint the nominees of each organization, but it may reject a nominee for cause and request the nominating organization to nominate another member. The AVMA PAC board member will be the chair of the AVMA PAC board. The SAVMA member will be appointed by SAVMA. The Board of Directors member will be elected at the fall meeting of the Board of Directors and designated chair-elect of the Legislative Advisory Committee. The LAC chair-elect is authorized to attend the spring LAC meeting subsequent to the fall Board meeting, as an observer and at AVMA expense, to become familiar with the chair’s duties and responsibilities.

All members of the committee must have email and fax capabilities.

Appointments of all representatives except the Board of Directors, AVMA PAC board, and SAVMA member will be for three years. The Board of Directors member will serve a two-year term. The AVMA PAC board and SAVMA representatives will serve for one year. Any organization may request that its representative be terminated early and nominate a replacement to fill the unexpired term. With the exception of the Board of Directors, AVMA PAC board and SAVMA, representatives may serve a maximum of two, three-year terms.

Representation shall include the AVMA House of Delegates, American Association of Avian Pathologists, American Animal Hospital Association, American Association of Bovine Practitioners, American Association of Equine Practitioners, American Association of Food Safety and Public Health Veterinarians, American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners, American Association of Swine Veterinarians, American Society of Laboratory Animal Practitioners, Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, and  American Association of Industry Veterinarians and their respective alternates; SAVMA; AVMA Political Action Committee board (non-voting ); and Board of Directors.

Chair

The committee will be chaired by the Board of Directors member.

Meetings

The committee shall meet in the spring and fall of each year in Washington, D.C. The chair may invite the Board of Governors to attend the meetings. While in Washington, the committee will make Capitol Hill visits to their members of Congress and executive branch officials. The chair shall also have the authority to convene additional meetings and/or to initiate conference calls of the committee as deemed necessary.

Funding

The AVMA will reimburse committee members for authorized expenses.

Reports

The committee will advise and report to the Board of Directors.

Life expectancy

The committee will be reviewed in compliance with AVMA governance policies​.