[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 34 (Tuesday, March 8, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H1600-H1601]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            VETERINARY PUBLIC HEALTH AMENDMENTS ACT OF 2011

  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 525) to amend the Public Health Service Act to enhance and 
increase the number of veterinarians trained in veterinary public 
health.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 525

       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 Public Health 
     Amendments Act of 2011''.

     SEC. 2. INCLUSION OF VETERINARY PUBLIC HEALTH IN CERTAIN 
                   PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE PROVISIONS.

       (a) Public Health Workforce Grants.--Subsections (b)(1)(A) 
     and (d)(6) of section 765 of the Public Health Service Act 
     (42 U.S.C. 295) are amended by inserting ``veterinary public 
     health,'' after ``preventive medicine,'' each place it 
     appears.
       (b) Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program.--
       (1) In general.--Subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 
     776(b)(1) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295f-
     1(b)(1)) are amended by striking ``public health or health 
     professions degree or certificate'' each place it appears and 
     inserting ``public health (including veterinary public 
     health) or health professions degree or certificate''.
       (2) Technical correction.--Subparagraph (A) of section 
     776(b)(1) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295f-
     1(b)(1)) is amended by adding ``or'' at the end.
       (c) Definition.--Section 799B of the Public Health Service 
     Act (42 U.S.C. 295p) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:
       ``(27) Veterinary public health.--The term `veterinary 
     public health' includes veterinarians engaged in one or more 
     of the following areas to the extent such areas have an 
     impact on human health: 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, the 
     practice of food animal medicine in rural areas, and 
     government practice.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Burgess) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on H.R. 525 currently under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BURGESS. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 525, the Veterinary Public Health Amendments Act of 
2011, would take important steps to increase the number of public 
health veterinarians.
  Food animal veterinarians have a vital role in our Nation's public 
health, and experts have informed us that there is, in fact, a 
shortage. This shortage could negatively affect our Nation's public 
health, including the safety of our Nation's food. We expect that this 
legislation will help greatly in solving that problem.
  H.R. 525 would enable individuals seeking veterinary public health 
degrees to be eligible for existing public health workforce loan 
repayment programs. This legislation would also allow the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services to award existing training grants to increase 
the veterinary public health workforce.
  I would like to thank all of the Members who have worked on this 
issue, including my physician colleague on the committee, Dr. Phil 
Gingrey of Georgia. I would also like to thank Congresswoman Tammy 
Baldwin of Wisconsin for authoring the bill.
  I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 525, the 
Veterinary Public Health Amendments Act of 2011. This is an important, 
bipartisan bill that we passed on the floor in the last Congress.
  Veterinary medicine is an important component of our human public 
health system. From H1N1, to SARS, to food safety, public health 
veterinarians are critical to our protection of human health. This bill 
would ensure that veterinary public health professionals are eligible 
for two important public health workforce programs, but only to the 
extent that the work of these veterinarians has an impact on human 
health.
  I want to commend Representative Baldwin for her leadership on this 
legislation. She has been working on this for a long time, and I was 
pleased to work with her. I also want to thank Chairman Pitts, Chairman 
Upton, and Representative Shimkus for their support; and I urge my 
colleagues to support this important bill.
  I now yield 3 minutes to the sponsor of the legislation, the 
gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin).
  Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 525, the 
Veterinary Public Health Amendments Act.
  Although we may not know it, our health depends, in part, on a small

[[Page H1601]]

army of veterinarians working in public health. Their role was never 
clearer than during the H1N1 virus outbreak. We now see that diseases 
can travel from animals to humans seemingly overnight.
  Public health veterinarians are our frontline of defense against 
another outbreak. They inspect our slaughterhouses, prevent a foot-and-
mouth disease outbreak from devastating our economy and our agriculture 
industry, and protect our citizens against the threat of bioterrorism.
  Unfortunately, our current workforce cannot meet these public health 
challenges. In the next 20 years, experts predict a shortage of 15,000 
veterinarians; and between 2006 and 2016, the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics predicts that the demand for veterinary services will 
increase by 35 percent. Something must be done to protect our national 
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.
  H.R. 525 will help to ensure that we have a more robust veterinary 
public health workforce. The bill has two main components: loan 
repayment for veterinarians who commit to teaching or to working in 
public health and a new fellowship program for public health 
veterinarians.
  I want to thank the Association of American Veterinary Medical 
Colleges and the American Veterinary Medical Association for their 
tireless work on behalf of public health veterinarians.
  I would also like to thank Chairman Pitts and Ranking Member Pallone 
for their support on this important legislation.
  This bill is identical to the Veterinary Public Health Amendments Act 
that passed the House by voice vote in the last Congress. This bill 
also passed the Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously.
  I urge my colleagues to support this critical bill to ensure that our 
veterinary workforce is prepared to meet our public health needs.
  Mr. PALLONE. I would certainly urge support for this important 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, as I have no further requests for time, I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to insert into the Record a 
letter from the American Farm Bureau Federation urging support of this 
legislation.
  I would also like to point out that this legislation enjoyed 
unanimous support from both the Republican and Democratic sides of the 
dais in the full Committee on Energy and Commerce.

                                                     American Farm


                                Bureau Federation',

                                    Washington, DC, March 8, 2011.
     Hon. Fred Upton,
     Chairman, House Energy and Commerce Committee, Washington, 
         DC.
       Dear Chairman Upton: The American Farm Bureau Federation 
     encourages your support of H.R. 525, the Veterinary Public 
     Health Amendments Act of 2011. This legislation, scheduled 
     for floor consideration today, would amend the Public Health 
     Service Act by adding veterinary public health as one of the 
     groups eligible for grants to train the public health 
     workforce, and would make veterinarians studying public 
     health eligible for loan repayment.
       The U.S. faces a critical shortage of veterinarians in 
     public health practice areas such as food safety and 
     security, bioterrorism and emergency preparedness, 
     environmental health, regulatory medicine, diagnostic 
     laboratory medicine, food systems veterinary medicine and 
     biomedical research. Many recent studies have shown dramatic 
     shortfalls of veterinarians in key public health practice 
     areas, including food systems, veterinary medicine and at 
     several federal government agencies protecting the nation's 
     food supply and keeping a watchful eye out for bioterrorism 
     and foreign animal diseases. The national pool of 2,500 new 
     graduates a year is not enough to meet the demands of a 
     growing population and the changing public health needs of 
     society.
       Public health starts at the farm and ranch level where 
     veterinarians are essential for the health and welfare of our 
     animals. Healthy animals mean a healthy food supply. However, 
     many of our members feel continual strain caused by fewer 
     large animal practitioners entering the field and the 
     resulting underserved areas for veterinary expertise. From 
     dairies in Maine to sheep flocks in Montana, fewer 
     veterinarians are available to help producers care for their 
     animals in both routine and emergency situations. National 
     efforts such as this legislation are needed to address these 
     critical deficits.
       We urge the House of Representatives to approve H.R. 525 to 
     increase the number of veterinarians working in public health 
     practice. Thank you for your consideration of this important 
     legislation to our nation's farmers and ranchers.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Bob Stallman,
                                                        President.

  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 525.
  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. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  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.

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