Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act

Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act

This bill expands support for public health veterinary services (e.g., disease surveillance or vaccination) in tribal communities to address zoonotic infectious diseases (i.e., diseases that spread between humans and animals).

Specifically, the bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Indian Health Service (IHS), to expend funds for public health veterinary services to prevent and control zoonotic disease infection and transmission in IHS areas where the risk for disease occurrence in humans and wildlife is endemic.

HHS may assign or deploy veterinary public health officers from the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps to IHS areas.

Additionally, HHS must submit a biennial report to Congress on the use of funds, the assignment and deployment of veterinary public health officers from the USPHS Commissioned Corps, data related to the monitoring and disease surveillance of zoonotic diseases, and related services.

The bill also includes the IHS as a coordinating agency in the National One Health Framework. (This framework addresses zoonotic diseases and advances public health preparedness in the United States.)

The bill requires the Department of Agriculture to conduct a feasibility study on the delivery of oral rabies vaccines to wildlife reservoir species that are connected to the transmission of rabies to tribal members living in Arctic regions of the United States. The study must (1) evaluate the efficacy of the oral rabies vaccines, and (2) make recommendations to improve the delivery of these vaccines.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 620 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 620

   To provide public health veterinary services to Indian Tribes and 
  Tribal organizations for rabies prevention, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 18, 2025

 Ms. Murkowski (for herself, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Peters, and Mr. Schatz) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                      Committee on Indian Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To provide public health veterinary services to Indian Tribes and 
  Tribal organizations for rabies prevention, 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 ``Veterinary Services to Improve 
Public Health in Rural Communities Act''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that the Indian Health Service of the 
Department of Health and Human Services is uniquely suited to empower 
Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations to address zoonotic disease 
threats in the communities they serve by providing public health 
veterinary services through a One Health approach that recognizes the 
interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared 
environment.

SEC. 3. PUBLIC HEALTH VETERINARY SERVICES.

    Title II of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act is amended by 
inserting after section 223 (25 U.S.C. 1621v) the following:

``SEC. 224. PUBLIC HEALTH VETERINARY SERVICES.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Public health veterinary services.--The term `public 
        health veterinary services' includes any of the following:
                    ``(A) Spaying and neutering services for domestic 
                animals.
                    ``(B) Diagnoses.
                    ``(C) Surveillance.
                    ``(D) Epidemiology.
                    ``(E) Control.
                    ``(F) Prevention.
                    ``(G) Elimination.
                    ``(H) Vaccination.
                    ``(I) Any other related service or activity that 
                reduces the risk of zoonotic disease transmission or 
                antimicrobial resistance in humans, food, or animals.
            ``(2) Zoonotic disease.--The term `zoonotic disease' means 
        a disease or infection that may be transmitted naturally from 
        vertebrate animals to humans, or from humans to vertebrate 
        animals.
    ``(b) Authorization for Veterinary Services.--The Secretary, acting 
through the Service, may expend funds, directly or pursuant to the 
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 
et seq.), for public health veterinary services to prevent and control 
zoonotic disease infection and transmission in Service areas where the 
risk for disease occurrence in humans and wildlife is endemic.
    ``(c) Public Health Officers; Coordination.--In providing public 
health veterinary services under subsection (b), the Secretary may--
            ``(1) assign or deploy veterinary public health officers 
        from the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service to 
        Service areas; and
            ``(2) coordinate and implement activities with--
                    ``(A) the Director of the Centers for Disease 
                Control and Prevention; and
                    ``(B) the Secretary of Agriculture.
    ``(d) Report.--The Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
Indian Affairs of the Senate, the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, the Committee on Natural Resources 
of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce of the House of Representatives a biennial report on the use 
of funds, the assignment and deployment of veterinary public health 
officers from the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service, data 
related to the monitoring and disease surveillance of zoonotic 
diseases, and related services provided under this section.''.

SEC. 4. APHIS WILDLIFE SERVICES STUDY ON ORAL RABIES VACCINES IN ARCTIC 
              REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Agriculture shall conduct a feasibility study--
            (1) on the delivery of oral rabies vaccines to wildlife 
        reservoir species that are directly or indirectly connected to 
        the transmission of rabies to Tribal members living in Arctic 
        regions of the United States; and
            (2) that--
                    (A) evaluates the efficacy of the vaccines 
                described in paragraph (1); and
                    (B) makes recommendations to improve the delivery 
                of those vaccines.

SEC. 5. ONE HEALTH FRAMEWORK.

    Section 2235(b) of the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, 
Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh-37(b)) is 
amended by striking ``and the Secretary of the Interior'' and inserting 
``, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Director of the Indian 
Health Service''.
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