[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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