House to discuss remuneration for host state VMA of AVMA Convention

The AVMA House of Delegates will discuss a resolution proposing that the AVMA Board of Directors consider offering financial remuneration to the host state VMA of each AVMA Convention.

The Indiana, Colorado, California, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania VMAs submitted the resolution for deliberation during the regular winter session of the House, Jan. 13-14 in Chicago.

According to the statement about the resolution: “Each year, the VMA in the state selected for the AVMA Convention is pleased and honored to welcome the AVMA and colleagues from around the country. However, experience demonstrates that the state VMA incurs a negative financial impact on the organization when the AVMA Convention is held in that state. It’s only natural that some veterinarians will opt to spend their limited continuing education budget on a national meeting opportunity when it is occasionally in the veterinarian’s own ‘backyard’, rather than attending the state VMA’s convention that is already familiar to the veterinarian.”

The state VMAs that submitted the resolution propose that the AVMA budget $35,000 for remuneration to the host state VMA of the AVMA Convention beginning with the 2017 convention in Indianapolis. Their statement suggests, “The AVMA can offset this remuneration to the host state by reviewing and reducing the number of complimentary registrations and accommodations given to attendees.”

In the statement about the resolution, but not in the resolution itself, the state VMAs additionally “request that the AVMA Convention be held no more than once every eight years in the same state.”