[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 15, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H6707-H6709]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  VETERINARIAN SERVICES INVESTMENT ACT

  Mr. BOSWELL. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (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, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3519

       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 that 
     engage in activities 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 veterinarian 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(a)(2).
       ``(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 persons.
       ``(2) Grant preferences.--In the case of grants to be used 
     for any of the purposes described in paragraphs (2) through 
     (6) of subsection (c), the Secretary shall give a preference 
     to the selection of qualified entities that document 
     coordination between or with other qualified entities 
     regarding the applicable purpose.
       ``(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), 1469(c), and 1470 shall apply to the 
     administration of the grant program under this section.
       ``(c) Use of Grants to Relieve Veterinarian Shortage 
     Situations and Support Veterinary Services.--Funds provided 
     by grants under this section may be used for the following 
     purposes to relieve veterinarian shortage situations and 
     support veterinary services:
       ``(1) Grants to assist veterinarians with establishing or 
     expanding practices for the purpose of equipping veterinary 
     offices, sharing in the reasonable overhead costs of such 
     practices (as determined by the Secretary), or establishing 
     mobile veterinary facilities where at least a portion of such 
     facilities will address education or extension needs.
       ``(2) Grants to promote recruitment (including programs in 
     secondary schools), placement, and retention of 
     veterinarians, veterinary technicians, students of veterinary 
     medicine, and students of veterinary technology.
       ``(3) Grants for veterinary students, veterinary interns, 
     externs, fellows, and residents, and veterinary technician 
     students to cover

[[Page H6708]]

     expenses (other than the types of expenses listed in 
     1415A(c)(5)) to attend training programs in food safety or 
     food animal medicine.
       ``(4) Grants establishing or expanding accredited 
     veterinary education programs (including faculty recruitment 
     and retention), veterinary residency and fellowship programs, 
     or veterinary internship and externship programs in 
     coordination with accredited colleges of veterinary medicine.
       ``(5) Grants for the assessment of veterinarian shortage 
     situations and preparation of applications for designation as 
     a shortage situation.
       ``(6) Grants in continuing education and extension, 
     including tele-veterinary medicine and other distance-based 
     education, for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and 
     other health professionals needed to strengthen veterinary 
     programs and enhance food safety.
       ``(d) Special Requirements for Certain Grants.--
       ``(1) Terms of service requirements.--Grants provided under 
     this section for the purpose specified in subsection (c)(1) 
     shall be subject to an agreement between the Secretary and 
     the grant recipient that includes a required term of service 
     for the recipient, as established by the Secretary. In 
     establishing such terms, the Secretary shall consider only--
       ``(A) the amount of the grant awarded; and
       ``(B) the specific purpose of the grant.
       ``(2) Breach remedies.--An agreement under paragraph (1) 
     shall provide remedies for any breach of the agreement by the 
     grant recipient, including repayment or partial repayment of 
     the grant funds, with interest. The Secretary may waive the 
     repayment obligation in the event of extreme hardship or 
     extreme need, as determined by the Secretary.
       ``(3) Treatment of amounts recovered.--Funds recovered 
     under paragraph (2) shall be credited to the account 
     available to carry out this section and shall remain 
     available until expended.
       ``(e) 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.
       ``(f) 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.
       ``(g) 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; and
       ``(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.
       ``(h) 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. Amounts appropriated 
     pursuant to this authorization of appropriations shall remain 
     available to the Secretary for the purposes of this section 
     until expended.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Iowa (Mr. Boswell) and the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Iowa.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BOSWELL. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
on the bill, H.R. 3519.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Iowa?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BOSWELL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. BOSWELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. BOSWELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 
3519, the Veterinarian Services Investment Act, which was introduced by 
my good friend and colleague from Nebraska (Mr. Smith). I had the 
privilege to be the lead Democrat on this legislation which is vital to 
growing our rural communities across America and securing our Nation's 
food supply.
  Our veterinary workforce is responsible for ensuring that the food we 
eat is safe, but they are facing a critical shortage in the public, 
private, industrial and academic sectors, and the problem is growing. 
Our Nation's large-animal vets are truly on the front lines of food 
safety, public health, animal health and national security. The demand 
for large-animal veterinarians is increasing, and lack of these 
specialists in many areas of the country will continue to put our 
agricultural economy and the safety of our food supply at risk.
  I know firsthand how important large-animal veterinarians are to 
farmers and ranchers. When I left the Army, I returned to my family 
farm and realized that much had changed in agriculture during the 20-
plus years I had served. I decided to sit down with my local 
veterinarian and have a discussion on the new animal health practices 
that science and research had given agriculture. I was lucky because in 
the small town of Lamoni in Decatur County we had a food animal 
veterinarian who I could turn to; however, many are not so lucky today. 
We are experiencing a shortage in large-food animal veterinarians 
across the country.
  I have worked over the years to try and correct the shortage of 
livestock and large-animal veterinarians. Research has shown that the 
demand for large-animal veterinarians will increase by 13 percent a 
year, with four in every 100 positions remaining vacant.

                              {time}  1230

  With just over 250 graduates from veterinary schools going into 
livestock-related fields, this crisis is a problem that not only 
affects rural America but also our major cities. These large animal 
veterinarians are the first line of defense against animal disease, 
outbreaks that can occur and cause serious health problems. Food and 
animal veterinarians not only identify, treat, and prevent naturally 
occurring diseases but are also on the front line of agroterrorism.
  For all of the reasons above, I urge my colleagues to join me in 
passing the Veterinary Services Investment Act today. This legislation 
will authorize grants to address workforce shortages based on the needs 
of underserved areas. For example, grants could be used to recruit 
veterinarians and veterinary technicians in shortage areas and 
communities. It could add veterinarians expanding and establishing 
practices in high-need areas. It could establish mobile portable 
clinics and televet services and establish education programs, 
including continuing education, distance education, and factor 
recruitment in veterinary science.
  Our Nation faces major challenges to relieve veterinary shortages, 
and the Veterinary Services Investment Act is a step in the right 
direction.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3519, the Veterinary Services 
Investment Act.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LUCAS. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3519, the 
Veterinarian Services Investment Act, and I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Since the fall of 2000, the Committee on Agriculture has worked on 
ways of resolving the serious veterinary shortage problem confronting 
many rural communities. With the passage of the National Veterinary 
Medical Service Act in December of 2003, a program was finally 
authorized to incentivize large animal veterinarians to practice in 
communities that USDA designated as veterinarian shortage areas. With 
this program in place, large animal veterinarians are able to apply on 
a competitive basis for educational loan repayment assistance in 
exchange for their commitment to practice in shortage

[[Page H6709]]

areas for the length of time as established by the regulations.
  While it's unfortunate that it took almost 6 years for USDA to 
establish a final rule implementing this first step, I'm optimistic 
that when the first awards are issued in the coming weeks, we'll begin 
a slowdown and hopefully reverse this problem.
  To the extent that the loan program is successful, it's important to 
consider that this was just the first step. While this assistance will 
be very helpful in attracting veterinarians to these communities, there 
remain gaps in veterinarian recruitment, attracting and training 
technical support staff, and simply meeting the long-term costs of 
operating veterinarian practices in these communities.
  The Veterinarian Services Investment Act is meant to address these 
secondary needs and is designed to complement the loan repayment 
program to help large animal veterinarians become established in these 
communities.
  This bill recognizes and addresses a real problem in rural America, 
and I'm proud to be an original cosponsor. I support this legislation, 
and I encourage all of my colleagues to do the same.
  Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my colleague 
from Nebraska (Mr. Smith), who has done an outstanding job of 
shepherding this bill through, understands the challenges in his State 
and in rural communities across America, and he's trying to do 
something.
  Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. I sincerely appreciate today's consideration 
of H.R. 3519, the Veterinarian Services Investment Act. The need for 
skilled veterinarians has already been stated. It may not be at the 
forefront of debate here in Washington, but it is an issue which 
impacts many areas of our country and many aspects of our lives.
  Our food animal veterinary workforce is on the front lines of food 
safety, public health, and animal health. This vital profession, 
however, is facing a critical shortage in the public, private, 
industrial, and academic sectors. To make matters worse, the problem is 
certainly on the rise.
  Large animal veterinarians in particular are integral to small rural 
communities, but in many of these communities--communities with few 
people but with large numbers of animals--we are seeing a very 
distressing trend. According to the USDA, Nebraska's Cherry County, one 
of the top three beef production counties in the United States, has 
145,000 food animals per one veterinarian.
  To this end, I've introduced H.R. 3519, the Veterinarian Services 
Investment Act, with Mr. Boswell. The legislation authorizes the 
Secretary of Agriculture to award competitive grants to help develop, 
implement, and sustain veterinary services especially in identified and 
underserved areas.
  Though we may not realize it, veterinarians make a difference every 
day. They understand animals and are integral parts of our rural 
communities. Unfortunately, too many rural communities don't have this 
necessary support. This investment act will make a difference, and I 
urge its passage.
  Mr. LUCAS. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOSWELL. Madam Speaker, just a couple of things before we close.
  There are an estimated 283 million pets and 2.3 billion farm animals 
in our country. That's a lot of animals, Frank, don't you think? It is. 
There are nearly 86,000 veterinarians in the U.S.; however, the 
majority of them focus on pets--cats and dogs. Twenty-eight veterinary 
schools in the country, and something that's very important to this 
legislation, veterinary graduates have an average debt of $120,000. So 
I think this is something that we ought to be aware of when we think of 
food safety and so on. So the demand for large animal veterinarians is 
increasing, and the lack of these faceless in many areas of the country 
will continue to put our agricultural economy and the safety of our 
food supply at risk.
  H.R. 3519, the Veterinary Services Investment Act, will help address 
this shortage and continue to ensure Americans have access to the 
safest, most plentiful, and most available food supply in the world. So 
I urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Boswell) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 3519, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________