Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act is now law
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On Aug. 1, 2014, President Barack Obama signed into law the long-awaited Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act (H.R. 1528), making it legal for veterinarians to provide complete medical care to their patients beyond their clinics and across state lines. This is a major victory for the veterinary profession and the healthcare of our nation’s animals!
The AVMA had been diligently working on getting this bill passed for nearly two years. The association’s Governmental Relations Division met with the Drug Enforcement Administration and members of Congress and their staff many times to explain why a restrictive provision within the Controlled Substances Act needed to be amended so veterinarians would be permitted to use all of the medications available to provide the best care for their patients beyond their clinics. The AVMA helped raise awareness by running several advertising campaigns in D.C. publications, conducting interviews with media, and developing many communications resources to help educate our members, the public and Congress on the importance of this bill.
Over 130 veterinary medical and other organizations joined the AVMA in its advocacy efforts. Those efforts were amplified with the help of AVMA’s members, who rallied together in an urgent call to action, sending more than 27,000 letters to their elected officials in support of the bill.
What’s next? The AVMA has developed an FAQ document for members and is in the process of updating tools on DEA registration numbers to help members better understand how this new regulation directly affects them. In the meantime, we advise any veterinarian who is unclear about how to comply with the new law to consult the Diversion Control Program Manager at their respective Drug Enforcement Administration field offices for more information.
The AVMA would like to thank everyone for their outpouring of support for this bill. It proves that together, we can accomplish great things on behalf of the veterinary profession!
More information:
- Issue brief about the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act
- INFOGRAPHIC - View and embed our infographic about why veterinarians need to use controlled substances onto your website.
- Coalition statement of support
Latest news:
- Aug. 4, 2014: New law is a historic triumph for veterinarians, animal care (press release)
- Aug. 2, 2014: Veterinary mobility act becomes law (blog post)
- July 8, 2014: AVMA applauds U.S. House for passing a bill that allows veterinarians to provide complete care beyond their clinics (press release)
- July 8, 2014: U.S. House passes the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act (blog post)
- April 4, 2014: Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act passes key House committee (blog post)
- March 7, 2014: VMMA advances in the House (blog post)
- Jan. 9, 2014: Senate passes crucial veterinary mobility bill (blog post)
- Jan. 9, 2014: AVMA salutes U.S. Senate for unanimously passing veterinary medicine mobility bill (press release)
- Dec. 17, 2013: AVMA letter to the DEA (letter)
- Dec. 14, 2013: AVMA asks DEA to clarify controlled substances issue (blog post)
- Nov. 16, 2013: Congress: Let's Mooooove the VMMA! (blog post)
- Oct. 18, 2013: VMMA Surpasses 100 House Cosponsors (blog post)
- June 20, 2013: Senate-Passed Farm Bill Excludes Veterinary Amendment (blog post)
- June 11, 2013: State Agricultural and Rural Leadership Endorses Veterinary Mobility Legislation (blog post)
- May 23, 2013: Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act Finds Legs in Senate Farm Bill (blog post)
- May 15, 2013: AVMA Praises U.S. Senators on Bill to Amend the Controlled Substances Act (press release)
- May 8, 2013: Drug Enforcement Administration Response to Congress (letter)
- April 16, 2013: AVMA Lauds U.S. Representatives on Bill to Amend the Controlled Substances Act (press release)
- April 16, 2013: New Infographic Shows Need for Veterinarians to Use Controlled Substances in Various Settings (blog post)
- Oct. 25, 2012: DEA Update: Congressional Letter Sent to DEA (blog post)
- Oct. 12, 2012: Congressional, Bipartisan Letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (letter)
- Aug. 2012: DEA Update (blog post)
- April 30, 2012 - Letter from AVMA to the Drug Enforcement Administration (letter)