Veterinarian Services Investment Act - Amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to carry out a matching grant program with qualified entities to develop, implement, and sustain veterinary services.
Requires a qualifying entity to carry out programs that: (1) relieve veterinarian shortage situations; (2) support private veterinary practices engaged in public health activities; or (3) support practices of veterinarians who are participating in or have successfully completed a specified service requirement.
Sets forth grant preference provisions.
Makes such grants available for: (1) assistance for establishing or expanding veterinary practices or establishing mobile veterinary facilities; (2) veterinarian, technician, and student recruitment; (3) grants to attend training programs in food safety or food animal medicine; (4) grants to establish or expand accredited education, internship, residency, and fellowship programs; (5) grants to assess veterinarian shortage situations; and (6) grants for continuing education and extension, including tele-veterinary medicine and other distance-based education.
Prohibits the use of grant funds for construction.
Subjects grants for establishing or expanding veterinary practices to: (1) an agreement between the Secretary and the recipient that includes a required term of service; and (2) remedies for breach of agreement, including repayment or partial repayment of grant funds.
Defines "qualified entity" as a: (1) for-profit or nonprofit entity in the United States that operates a rural veterinary clinic in response to a veterinarian shortage situation; (2) state, national, allied, or regional veterinary organization or specialty board recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association; (3) college or school of veterinary medicine accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association; (4) university research foundation or veterinary medical foundation; (5) department of veterinary science or department of comparative medicine accredited by the Department of Education; (6) state agricultural experiment station; or (7) state, local, or tribal government agency.
Authorizes appropriations beginning with FY2012.
[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3519 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3519
To amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching
Policy Act of 1977 to establish a grant program to promote efforts to
develop, implement, and sustain veterinary services, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 31, 2009
Mr. Smith of Nebraska (for himself, Mr. Boswell, Mr. Baca, Mr. Conaway,
Mr. Holden, Mr. Latham, Mr. Lucas, Mr. Luetkemeyer, Mr. Massa, Mr.
McIntyre, Mr. Rogers of Alabama, Mr. Simpson, Mr. Schrader, Mr. Walz,
Mr. Thornberry, Mrs. Lummis, Mr. Neugebauer, Mr. Schock, and Mr. Latta)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching
Policy Act of 1977 to establish a grant program to promote efforts to
develop, implement, and sustain veterinary services, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Veterinarian Services Investment
Act''.
SEC. 2. VETERINARY SERVICES GRANT PROGRAM.
The National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy
Act of 1977 is amended by inserting after section 1415A (7 U.S.C.
3151a) the following new section:
``SEC. 1415B. VETERINARY SERVICES GRANT PROGRAM.
``(a) Establishment of Program.--
``(1) Competitive grants.--The Secretary shall carry out a
program to make competitive grants to qualified entities
described in paragraph (2) for the purpose of developing,
implementing, and sustaining veterinary services.
``(2) Eligibility requirements.--To be eligible for a grant
under this subsection, a qualified entity must carry out
programs or activities that the Secretary determines will--
``(A) substantially relieve veterinary shortage
situations;
``(B) support or facilitate private veterinary
practices engaged in public health activities; or
``(C) support or facilitate practices of
veterinarians who are participating in or have
successfully completed a service requirement under
section 1415A.
``(b) Award Processes and Preferences.--
``(1) Application, evaluation, and input processes.--In
administrating the grant program under this section, the
Secretary shall use an appropriate application and evaluation
process and seek the input of interested person.
``(2) Grant preferences.--In selecting qualified entities
to receive a grant under this section, the Secretary shall give
a preference to qualified entities that--
``(A) document coordination between or with--
``(i) a State, national, allied, or
regional veterinary organization, a specialty
board, or veterinary medical association
recognized by the American Veterinary Medical
Association;
``(ii) the applicable accredited veterinary
education institution, or accredited department
of veterinary science, or department of
comparative medicine; or
``(iii) the applicable State veterinarian
or animal health official (or its equivalent);
and
``(B) will use the grant funds to help to meet
veterinary workforce or food protection needs.
``(3) Additional preferences.--When awarding grants under
this section, the Secretary may develop additional preferences
by taking into account the amount of funds available for grants
as well as the purposes for which the grant funds will be used.
``(4) Applicability of other provisions.--Sections 1413B,
1462(a), 1469(a)(3), and 1469(c) shall apply to the
administration of the grant program under this section.
``(c) Cost-Sharing Requirements.--
``(1) Recipient share.--A grant recipient shall provide
matching non-Federal funds, either in cash or in-kind support,
in an amount equal to not less than 50 percent of the Federal
funds provided in a grant under this section.
``(2) Waiver.--The Secretary may establish, by regulation,
conditions under which the cost-sharing requirements of
paragraph (1) may be reduced or waived.
``(d) Use of Grant To Relieve Veterinary Shortage Situations and
Support Veterinary Services.--Funds provided by grants under this
section may be used for the following purposes to relieve veterinary
shortage situations and support veterinary services:
``(1) Grants to promote recruitment, placement, and
retention of veterinarians, veterinary technicians, students of
veterinary medicine, and students of veterinary technology.
``(2) Grants to assist veterinarians with establishing or
expanding practices for the purpose of equipping veterinary
offices, sharing in the overhead costs of such practices, or to
the establishment of mobile veterinary facilities where at
least a portion of such facilities will address education or
extension needs.
``(3) Financial assistance for veterinary students,
veterinary interns, externs, fellows, and residents, and
veterinary technician students to attend training programs in
food safety or food animal medicine to cover expenses other
than tuition.
``(4) Programs establishing or expanding accredited
veterinary education programs, veterinary residency and
fellowship programs or veterinary internship and externship
programs in coordination with accredited colleges of veterinary
medicine.
``(5) Programs for tele-veterinary medicine where such
practices shall at least in part contribute to veterinary
extension, education, or research.
``(6) Support the ability of the office or position of a
State veterinarian or animal health official to coordinate
veterinary services and food protection issues described in the
preceding paragraphs.
``(7) Assessments of veterinarian shortage situations and
preparation of applications for designation as a shortage
situation.
``(8) Programs in continuing education and extension,
including distance-based education, for veterinarians,
veterinary technicians, and other health professionals needed
to strengthen veterinary programs and enhance food safety.
``(9) Faculty recruitment and retention programs at
accredited colleges of veterinary medicine.
``(10) Programs, in coordination with universities or local
educational agencies, to encourage students in secondary
schools to pursue a career in veterinary medicine or science
professions.
``(e) Prohibition on Use of Grant Funds for Construction.--Funds
made available for grants under this section shall not be used for the
construction of a new building or facility or the acquisition,
expansion, remodeling, or alteration of an existing building of
facility, including site grading and improvement and architect fees.
``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Veterinarian shortage situation.--The term
`veterinarian shortage situation' means a veterinarian shortage
situation determined by the Secretary under section 1415A(b).
``(2) Qualified entity.--The term `qualified entity' means
the following:
``(A) A for-profit or nonprofit entity located in
the United States that operates a veterinary clinic
providing veterinary services--
``(i) in a rural area, as defined in
section 1393(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986; or
``(ii) in response to a veterinarian
shortage situation.
``(B) A State, national, allied, or regional
veterinary organization or specialty board recognized
by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
``(C) A college or school of veterinary medicine
accredited by the American Veterinary Medical
Association.
``(D) A university research foundation or
veterinary medical foundation.
``(E) A department of veterinary science or
department of comparative medicine accredited by the
Department of Education.
``(F) A State agricultural experiment station.
``(G) A State, local, or tribal government agency.
``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary such sums as are necessary to carry out
this section for fiscal year 2012 and each fiscal year thereafter.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Mr. Boswell moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H6707-6709)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 3519.
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H6707-6708)
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H6707-6708)
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line