[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 160 (Tuesday, December 7, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H8044-H8046]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            SUPPORTING DESIGNATION OF WORLD VETERINARY YEAR

  Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 1531) expressing support for designation of 2011 as 
``World Veterinary Year'' to bring attention to and show appreciation 
for the veterinary profession on its 250th anniversary.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1531

       Whereas the world's first veterinary school was founded in 
     Lyon, France, in 1761;
       Whereas 2011 will mark the 250th anniversary of veterinary 
     education;
       Whereas 2011 will mark the 250th anniversary of the 
     founding of the veterinary medical profession;
       Whereas 2011 will mark the beginnings of comparative 
     biopathology, a basic tenet of the ``one health'' concept;
       Whereas veterinarians have played an integral role in 
     discovering the causes of numerous diseases that affect the 
     people of the United States, such as salmonellosis, West Nile 
     Virus, yellow fever, and malaria;
       Whereas veterinarians provide valuable public health 
     service through preventive medicine, control of zoonotic 
     diseases, and scientific research;
       Whereas veterinarians have advanced human and animal health 
     by inventing and refining techniques and instrumentations 
     such as artificial hips, bone plates, splints, and 
     arthroscopy;
       Whereas veterinarians play an integral role in protecting 
     the quality and security of the herd and food supply of the 
     United States;
       Whereas military veterinarians provide crucial assistance 
     to the agricultural independence of developing nations around 
     the world;
       Whereas disaster relief veterinarians provide public health 
     service and veterinary medical support to animals and humans 
     displaced and ravaged by disasters;
       Whereas veterinarians are dedicated to preserving the 
     human-animal bond and promoting the highest standards of 
     science-based, ethical animal welfare;
       Whereas 2011 would be an appropriate year to designate as 
     ``World Veterinary Year'' to bring attention to and show 
     appreciation for the veterinary profession on its 250th 
     anniversary; and
       Whereas colleagues in the United States will join 
     veterinarians from around the world to celebrate this 
     momentous occasion: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) supports the designation of ``World Veterinary Year'';
       (2) supports the goals and ideals of World Veterinary Year 
     by bringing attention to and expressing appreciation for the 
     contributions that the veterinary profession has made and 
     continues to make to animal health, public health, animal 
     welfare, and food safety; and
       (3) requests that the President issue a proclamation 
     calling upon the people of the United States to ``World 
     Veterinary Year'' with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and 
     activities.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Missouri (Mr. Clay) and the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Missouri.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Missouri?

[[Page H8045]]

  There was no objection.
  Mr. CLAY. At this time, Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to my 
colleague, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Schrader).
  Mr. SCHRADER. I appreciate Mr. Clay for yielding time to me.
  I would like to take a moment here and thank Chairman Towns and 
Ranking Member Issa and their staffs on the Oversight and Government 
Reform Committee for helping to bring this resolution to the floor.
  As a veterinarian myself and a Member of Congress, I introduced this 
resolution to bring attention to the veterinary profession at a time 
when it faces some challenges and to honor the contributions veterinary 
medicine has made in animal health, public health, animal welfare, and 
our food safety.
  Next year will mark the 250th anniversary of the opening of the first 
Veterinary school in Lyon, France, and the beginning of our veterinary 
profession. The school in Lyon was authorized by King Louis XV, August 
4, 1761, based on the principles and methods of curing livestock. The 
reputation of this school soon spread and students from all over Europe 
attended, and these students became the leading lights of veterinary 
science when they returned to their own countries.
  A second school was established in Alfort, France, and soon secondary 
schools built on the Lyon model appeared in Germany, England, and other 
European countries. Since its humble beginnings in Lyon in the year 
1761, the practice of veterinary medicine has spread across the globe 
for the betterment of animals, humans, and our environment.
  As a result, veterinarians have become the most qualified health 
professionals to help us deal with zoonotic diseases, bioterrorism, 
comparative medicine, and food safety issues on our front lines and 
leaders in research and scientific innovation as well as the scientific 
benefits of the animal-human companion bond.
  Veterinarians have always been an integral part of their communities 
and expected to be community leaders. I may have carried it to an 
extreme.
  In my lifetime, I have been actually blessed to see some exponential 
growth in the veterinary medical field. We went from the James Herriot 
era of liniments and potions to the ongoing use of antibiotics and 
steroids; advances in diagnostics and treatments, including IV therapy, 
dentistry; second and third generation of antibiotics and steroids, new 
anti-inflammatories; treatments for diabetes, Cushing's, Addison's--
diseases we see both in humans and in animals--and advances in 
nutrition that our human colleagues could take advantage of.
  I encourage my colleagues to join me in commemorating this important 
milestone by supporting H. Res. 1531 and proclaiming 2011 as World 
Veterinary Year in honor of the 250th anniversary of the veterinary 
profession.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today to support House Resolution 1531, which expresses 
support for designation of 2011 as World Veterinary Year, with the goal 
of helping to bring attention to and showing appreciation for the 
veterinarian profession on its 250th anniversary.
  I believe that those who choose to enter into the medical profession 
deserve our gratitude for entering into a life where they help heal the 
sick, be it human or animal. And for many of us, our pets become a huge 
part of our family, and our Nation's veterinarians help ensure our 
furry family members live long and rewarding lives.
  So, Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in support of this 
resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, at this time I would like to recognize the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Thank you, Mr. Clay, once again. And certainly 
I want to thank the outstanding leadership of my colleague, Mr. Kurt 
Schrader of Oregon, who's the chief sponsor of this bill, for it is, 
indeed, a very important bill.
  I too want to thank the gentlelady from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) for 
her leadership on this, and Mr. Towns, chairman of our Oversight 
Committee, for assisting us with making sure this bill got on the 
suspension calendar.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 1531, designating 2011 as World Veterinary Year, 
is a simple but an extraordinarily important gesture, offering 
recognition for an often overlooked yet increasingly very important 
profession, and that is the field of veterinary medicine.
  We all know the role veterinarians play in keeping our pets healthy. 
As a pet owner myself, I've come to depend on the expertise and the 
skill of my vet to keep my precious dog, Jazz, very healthy.
  But the work of veterinarians is so much more vital than just giving 
rabies shots and passing out medicine. As chairman of our Agriculture 
Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry, what I would like to 
highlight, Madam Speaker, is the crucial role that our veterinarians 
play in keeping our food supply safe--not just keeping our animals safe 
and healthy, but keeping our food supply safe and healthy.

                              {time}  1500

  They are the ones that we are growing more and more to depend upon 
for this important role. Whether in the movement with antibiotics or 
farm animal safety, who better to provide the leadership on these 
critical issues than the veterinarians, the physicians for the animals.
  Veterinarians have an important responsibility to prevent 
contamination from bacteria and diseases. In a world of rapid trade, 
food animal veterinarians serve a crucial role in protecting our 
country from serious food-borne illnesses, from biological hazards, 
from pathogens. Veterinarians work to curb bacterial infections and 
diagnose conditions such as foot-and-mouth disease and avian flu before 
they really have a chance to become a threat to our food supply.
  Having someone in the field to monitor these dangers is critical to 
our safety in a world of global trade, and particularly, constant 
trading in and out of different countries of food and animals over our 
wide, incredible differences.
  But, Madam Speaker, what worries me the most and worries me greatly 
is that our Nation is now in dire need of many more veterinarians to 
provide us with this undeniably vital service. The American Veterinary 
Medical Association has found several vast regions of the country that 
currently lack sufficient food animal veterinarians. Throughout the 
center of this country, from Texas to North Dakota, numerous counties 
don't even have a single food animal veterinarian despite having more 
than 25,000 animals. Some areas have many more than 100,000 animals 
with no food animal veterinarian nearby.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. CLAY. I yield 2 additional minutes to the gentleman.
  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Without a serious endeavor to train more large 
animal veterinarians, the country could be in a position where 
dangerous pathogens and disease go unchecked, leading to a major, major 
food safety hazard. We have come close in numerous threats, and we have 
to keep our food supply safe. At the forefront of that are our 
veterinarians.
  Earlier this year, the House passed H.R. 3519, Veterinarian Services 
Investment Act. This bill creates grants to develop, deploy, and 
sustain veterinarian services and provides our Nation's current and 
future animal physicians with the resources they desperately need. 
While Senate prospects for this bill are uncertain, unfortunately, as 
the remaining legislative year dwindles, I am hopeful that the Senate 
will act soon. It is imperative that we address this dire shortage of 
veterinarians by supporting the training of new vets and by helping 
those already in the field by equipping them with the tools they need 
to maintain successful practices.
  So I welcome this resolution, and I commend Mr. Schrader for offering 
it, and any chance we have to mention the crucial work of our 
veterinarians and highlight the need to train and employ more of them 
is a chance we must take to do just that.
  Once again, Madam Speaker, I offer my wholehearted approval for this 
resolution for the veterinarians it seeks to honor.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

[[Page H8046]]

  Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, again let me thank the gentleman from Oregon 
(Dr. Schrader) for introducing this important piece of legislation. And 
in closing, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting House 
Resolution 1531 supporting the goals and ideals of World Veterinary 
Year.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) that the House suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1531.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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