[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2999 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2999

  To amend the Public Health Service Act to enhance and increase the 
      number of veterinarians trained in veterinary public health.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 23, 2009

Ms. Baldwin (for herself, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania, 
and Mr. Schrader) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                  the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Public Health Service Act to enhance and increase the 
      number of veterinarians trained in veterinary public health.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) In General.--This Act may be cited as the ``Veterinary Public 
Health Workforce and Education Act''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Veterinary education capacity building initiatives through the 
                            National Center for Research Resources.
Sec. 4. Enhancing the public health veterinary medicine workforce.
Sec. 5. Implementation plan.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Veterinary medicine is an integral and indispensable 
        component of the Nation's public health system. Veterinarians 
        protect human health by preventing and controlling infectious 
        diseases, ensuring the safety and security of the Nation's food 
        supply, promoting healthy environments, and providing health 
        care for animals.
            (2) Veterinarians are essential for early detection and 
        response to unusual disease events that could be linked to 
        newly emerging infectious diseases, such as, SARS, and West 
        Nile Virus, or other biothreat agents of concern.
            (3) Veterinarians have been intimately involved in 
        responding to recent disease threats, such as the H1N1 outbreak 
        in North America in the spring of 2009.
            (4) There is a need to build national capacity in research 
        and training in the prevention, surveillance, diagnosis, and 
        control of newly emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
            (5) Veterinarians are uniquely qualified to address these 
        high priority public health issues because of their extensive 
        professional training in basic biomedical sciences, population 
        medicine, and broad, multi-species, comparative medical 
        approach to disease prevention and control.
            (6) There is a shortage of veterinarians working in 
        veterinary public health.
            (7) The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a 
        study in February 2009 that focused on the Federal Government's 
        lack of veterinary manpower and coordination of human capital 
        needs for veterinarians (GAO-09-178). The GAO report found the 
        workforce shortage will worsen ``as a result of space 
        constraints at the Nation's 28 veterinary colleges''.
            (8) The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects there to be 
        28,000 job openings in the veterinary medical profession by 
        2012 due to growth and net replacements, a turnover of nearly 
        38 percent.
            (9) The Nation's veterinary medical colleges do not have 
        the capacity to meet the current and future demand for 
        veterinarians and veterinary expertise that is vital to 
        maintain public health preparedness.
            (10) The Federal Government has not provided resources to 
        increase the number of veterinarians in the workforce in over 
        30 years.

SEC. 3. VETERINARY EDUCATION CAPACITY BUILDING INITIATIVES THROUGH THE 
              NATIONAL CENTER FOR RESEARCH RESOURCES.

    Subpart 1 of part E of title IV of the Public Health Service Act is 
amended by adding at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 481E. VETERINARY EDUCATION CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of 
the National Center for Research Resources, shall award competitive 
grants to eligible entities for purposes of increasing the number of 
veterinarians in the workforce and veterinary teaching faculty in the 
field of veterinary public health as defined by section 774.
    ``(b) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
subsection (a), an entity shall--
            ``(1) be--
                    ``(A) a public or other nonprofit college or school 
                of veterinary medicine accredited by the American 
                Veterinary Medical Association;
                    ``(B) a public or nonprofit, department of 
                comparative medicine, department of veterinary science, 
                school of public health, or school of medicine that is 
                accredited by at least one recognized body approved for 
                such purpose by the Department of Education and that 
                offers graduate training for veterinarians in an area 
                of veterinary public health; or
                    ``(C) a public or nonprofit entity that conducts 
                residency training programs for veterinarians that are 
                approved by a veterinary specialty organization that is 
                recognized by the American Veterinary Medical 
                Association and that offers advanced training for 
                veterinarians in an area of veterinary public health; 
                and
            ``(2) prepare and submit to the Secretary an application, 
        at such time, in such manner, and containing such information 
        as the Secretary may require.
    ``(c) Consideration of Applications.--The Secretary shall establish 
procedures to ensure that applications submitted under subsection 
(b)(2) are rigorously reviewed and that grants are competitively 
awarded based on--
            ``(1) the ability of the applicant to increase the number 
        of veterinarians who are trained in areas of veterinary public 
        health;
            ``(2) the ability of the applicant to increase capacity in 
        research on high priority disease agents;
            ``(3) the ability of the applicant to increase the number 
        of faculty who are trained in areas of veterinary public 
        health; or
            ``(4) any other consideration the Secretary determines 
        necessary.
    ``(d) Preference.--In awarding grants under subsection (a)(1), the 
Secretary shall give preference to--
            ``(1) applicants that involve more than one college or 
        school of veterinary medicine, department of comparative 
        medicine, department of veterinary science, school or program 
        of public health, school of medicine, or residency training 
        program that offers postgraduate training for veterinarians in 
        an area defined in section 774; and
            ``(2) applicants that significantly increase enrollment in 
        veterinary public health education programs.
    ``(e) Use of Funds.--Amounts received under a grant in this section 
shall be used by a grantee to increase the number of veterinarians in 
the workforce through--
            ``(1) paying the costs associated with construction, the 
        acquisition of equipment, and other capital costs relating to 
        the expansion of new or existing colleges or schools of 
        veterinary medicine, departments of comparative medicine, 
        departments of veterinary science, or entities offering 
        residency training programs to veterinarians;
            ``(2) paying the capital costs associated with the 
        expansion of academic programs that offer postgraduate training 
        for veterinarians or concurrent training for students in 
        veterinary public health;
            ``(3) paying the salaries associated with hiring additional 
        faculty to meet an increase in veterinary student capacity;
            ``(4) developing a veterinary public health curriculum to 
        attract veterinarians into careers in public health; and
            ``(5) providing scholarships to graduated veterinarians or 
        veterinary students to receive a master's in public health.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $100,000,000 for fiscal year 
2010, $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2011, and $50,000,000 for each of 
the fiscal years 2012 through 2014. Such sums shall remain available 
until expended.''.

SEC. 4. ENHANCING THE PUBLIC HEALTH VETERINARY MEDICINE WORKFORCE.

    Part E of title VII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
294n et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subpart:

               ``Subpart 3--Veterinary Medicine Workforce

``SEC. 771. VETERINARY FACULTY LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary, acting through the 
Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, may 
enter into an agreement with eligible individuals for the repayment of 
education loans, in accordance with this section, to increase the 
number of qualified veterinary faculty in the field of veterinary 
public health.
    ``(b) Agreements.--Each agreement entered into under subsection (a) 
shall require that the eligible individual shall serve as a full-time 
member of the faculty of a school of veterinary medicine accredited by 
the American Veterinary Medical Association, or a department of 
comparative medicine, department of veterinary science, school of 
public health, or school of medicine accredited by the Department of 
Education for a total period, in the aggregate, of at least four 
consecutive years during the ten-year period beginning on the later 
of--
            ``(1) the date on which the individual receives a master's 
        level degree in an approved field of study and doctorate 
        veterinary medicine degree from a college or school of 
        veterinary medicine accredited by the Department of Education 
        or a doctorate in another approved field of study; or
            ``(2) the date on which the individual enters into an 
        agreement under subsection (a).
    ``(c) Agreement Provisions.--Agreements entered into pursuant to 
subsection (a) shall be entered into on such terms and conditions as 
the Secretary may specify, consistent with the following:
            ``(1) Not later than 10 months after the date on which the 
        ten-year period described in subsection (b) begins, but in no 
        case before the individual starts as a full-time member of the 
        faculty of a school, department, or college described in such 
        subsection, the Secretary shall begin making payments, for and 
        on behalf of that individual, on the out-standing principal of, 
        and interest on, any loan of that individual obtained to pay 
        for such degree.
            ``(2) For an individual who has completed a master's level 
        degree in an approved field of study--
                    ``(A) payments may not exceed $10,000 per calendar 
                year; and
                    ``(B) total payments may not exceed $40,000.
            ``(3) For an individual who has completed a doctorate 
        degree in an approved field of study--
                    ``(A) payments may not exceed $25,000 with respect 
                to fiscal year 2010, adjusted for subsequent fiscal 
                years to reflect the increase in Consumer Price Index; 
                and
                    ``(B) total payments may not exceed $100,000 with 
                respect to fiscal year 2010, adjusted for subsequent 
                fiscal years to reflect the increase in Consumer Price 
                Index.
    ``(d) Breach of Agreement.--
            ``(1) In general.--In the case of any agreement made under 
        subsection (a), the individual is liable to the Federal 
        Government for the total amount paid by the Secretary under 
        such agreement, and for interest on such amount at the maximum 
        legal prevailing rate, if the individual fails to meet the 
        agreement terms required under subsection (b).
            ``(2) Waiver, suspension, or cancellation of liability.--
                    ``(A) In general.--In the case of an individual 
                making an agreement for purposes of paragraph (1), the 
                Secretary may suspend or waive, in whole or in part, 
                liability under such paragraph in accordance with this 
                paragraph if the Secretary deems compliance by the 
                individual cannot be fulfilled. The Secretary or the 
                designee of the Secretary shall review all requests for 
                suspensions and waivers under this paragraph. In 
                addition, the Secretary may cancel or terminate an 
                agreement made under subsection (a) under very limited 
                circumstances consistent with the provisions of this 
                paragraph.
                    ``(B) Suspension.--
                            ``(i) In general.--A suspension of 
                        liability of an individual under paragraph (1) 
                        may be granted under subparagraph (A) if 
                        compliance with such liability by the 
                        individual is temporarily impossible or would 
                        involve a temporary extreme hard ship such that 
                        enforcement of the liability would be 
                        unconscionable.
                            ``(ii) Medical documentation; illness of 
                        family member.--Such a suspension shall be 
                        granted under subparagraph (A), for not more 
                        than one year, if the participant provides 
                        independent medical documentation of a physical 
                        or mental health disability, or a terminal 
                        illness of an immediate family member, that 
                        results in the participant's temporary 
                        inability to perform the obligation.
                            ``(iii) Call to active duty in the armed 
                        forces.--Such a suspension shall be granted 
                        under subparagraph (A) if the participants is a 
                        member of a reserve component of the Armed 
                        Forces who is called to serve on active duty, 
                        but for not more than one year beginning on the 
                        activation date described in the member's call 
                        to active duty order.
                    ``(C) Waiver.--A waiver of liability of an 
                individual under paragraph (1) may be granted under 
                subparagraph (A) if compliance by the individual is 
                permanently impossible or would involve a permanent 
                extreme hardship such that enforcement of the liability 
                would be unconscionable.
                    ``(D) Cancellation.--The liability of an individual 
                under paragraph (1) may be cancelled in its entirety 
                upon the death of the individual.
            ``(3) Date certain for recovery.--Subject to paragraph (2), 
        any amount that the Federal Government is entitled to recover 
        under paragraph (1) shall be paid to the United States not 
        later than the expiration of the 3-year period beginning on the 
        date the United States becomes so entitled.
            ``(4) Availability.--Amounts recovered under paragraph (1) 
        shall be available to the Secretary for making loan repayments 
        under this section and shall remain available for such purpose 
        until expended.
    ``(e) Eligible Individual Defined.--For the purposes of this 
section, the term `eligible individual' means an individual who--
            ``(1) is a United States citizen, national, or lawful 
        permanent resident;
            ``(2)(A) has a degree in an approved field of study as 
        defined in section 774; or
            ``(B) is enrolled on a full-time or part-time basis in such 
        a program.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
$20,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2014 to carry out 
this section. Such sums shall remain available until expended.

``SEC. 772. VETERINARY PUBLIC HEALTH FELLOWSHIPS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Administrator 
of the Health Resources and Services Administration, shall establish 
fellowship programs described in subsections (b) and (c) for 
veterinarians to provide on-the-job training in food systems security 
and veterinary public health.
    ``(b) Full-time One-year Fellowships.--The fellowship program 
described in this subsection is a program under which--
            ``(1) eligible individuals are hired through the Department 
        of Health and Human Services as fellows for a one-year period 
        on a full-time basis;
            ``(2) the Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements 
        with other departments and agencies of the Federal Government 
        that employ veterinarians (including the United States 
        Department of Agriculture, the United States Agency for 
        International Development, the Department of the Interior, the 
        Department of Commerce, the Department of Homeland Security, 
        the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of 
        Defense) under which such fellows are placed with such other 
        departments and agencies;
            ``(3) to be eligible to receive a fellowship an individual 
        would be a graduate of a school or college of veterinary 
        medicine; and
            ``(4) with respect to an individual receiving a fellowship 
        under the program, the Federal Government agrees to pay a 
        monthly stipend for each month the individual participates in 
        such fellowship, the amount of which shall be determined by the 
        Secretary based on the individual's degree and relevant 
        experience, such that--
                    ``(A) such individuals who have earned a doctoral 
                level academic degree in an approved field of study 
                shall be eligible for a monthly stipend of $4,600 for 
                fiscal year 2010; adjusted for subsequent fiscal years 
                to reflect the increase in Consumer Price Index, and
                    ``(B) such individuals who have earned an academic 
                degree at a Masters level in an approved field of study 
                shall be eligible for a monthly stipend of $1,000 for 
                fiscal year 2010; adjusted for subsequent fiscal years 
                to reflect the increase in Consumer Price Index.
    ``(c) Part-time Fellowships.--The fellowship program described in 
this subsection is a program under which--
            ``(1) eligible individuals are hired on a part-time basis 
        through the Department of Health and Human Services as fellows;
            ``(2) the Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements 
        with other departments and agencies of the Federal Government 
        that have employ veterinarians (including but not limited to: 
        the United States Department of Agriculture, the United States 
        Agency for International Development, the Department of the 
        Interior, the Department of Commerce, the Department of 
        Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the 
        Department of Defense) under which such fellows are placed with 
        such other departments and agencies;
            ``(3) to be eligible to receive a fellowship an individual 
        shall be enrolled in a school of veterinary medicine or a 
        graduate of a school of veterinary medicine;
            ``(4) with respect to an eligible individual participating 
        in such program, the Federal Government agrees to pay a monthly 
        stipend for each month of such participation in the amount of 
        $2,000 for fiscal year 2010; adjusted for subsequent fiscal 
        years to reflect the increase in Consumer Price Index; and
            ``(5) from amounts appropriated for carrying out this 
        section, the Secretary shall transfer funds to the head of each 
        agency participating in such program for the costs of 
        supporting the beginning salaries of such veterinarians at such 
        agency for not more than 2 years.
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section, $2,500,000 for each of the 
fiscal years 2010 through 2014. For fiscal years after fiscal year 2010 
such amount shall be adjusted to reflect the increase in Consumer Price 
Index. Such sums shall remain available until expended.

``SEC. 773. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE DIVISION OF VETERINARY MEDICINE AND 
              PUBLIC HEALTH AT HEALTH RESOURCES AND SERVICES 
              ADMINISTRATION.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish, within the Health 
Resources and Services Administration, a Division of Veterinary 
Medicine and Public Health, to administer programs related to 
veterinary medicine and public health.
    ``(b) Director.--The Secretary shall appoint an individual to 
direct the Division who is a distinguished leader from the field of 
veterinary medicine or public health.

``SEC. 774. DEFINITIONS.

    ``For purposes of this subpart:
            ``(1) Veterinary public health defined.--The term 
        `veterinary public health' includes--
                    ``(A) biodefense and emergency preparedness, 
                emerging and reemerging infectious diseases, 
                environmental health, ecosystem health, pre and post-
                harvest food protection, regulatory medicine, 
                diagnostic laboratory medicine, veterinary pathology, 
                biomedical research, rural and government practice; and
                    ``(B) the sum of all contributions to the physical, 
                mental, and social well-being of humans through an 
                understanding and application of veterinary science.
            ``(2) Approved field of study.--The term `approved field of 
        study' includes--
                    ``(A) doctoral degrees (VMD, DVM, MD, DO, PhD, DDS) 
                in veterinary medicine, human medicine, or another 
                appropriate and applicable scientific field; and
                    ``(B) Masters degrees in veterinary preventative 
                medicine, public health, science, veterinary science, 
                or another appropriate and applicable scientific 
                field.''.

SEC. 5. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

    Not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Assistant Secretary 
for Legislation, shall submit to Congress an implementation plan for 
all provisions of this Act and amendments made by this Act.
                                 <all>