[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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