[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 185 (Thursday, December 12, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6994-S6996]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBAL FOREST PROTECTION ACT AMENDMENTS ACT OF 2024
______
VETERINARY SERVICES TO IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH IN RURAL COMMUNITIES ACT
Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, as if in legislative session, I ask
unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate
consideration of the following bills en bloc, Calendar No. 574, S.
4370; and Calendar No. 563, S. 4365.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bills
en bloc, which were reported from the Committee on Indian Affairs with
amendments as follows:
(The part of the bill (S. 4370) intended to be stricken is in
boldfaced brackets and the part of the bill intended to be inserted is
in italics.)
(The parts of the bill (S. 4365) intended to be stricken are in
boldfaced brackets and the parts of the bill intended to be inserted
are in italics.)
S. 4370
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 ``Tribal Forest Protection Act
Amendments Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. TRIBAL FOREST PROTECTION ACT OF 2004 AMENDMENTS.
Section 2 of the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 (25
U.S.C. 3115a) is amended--
[(1) in subsection (a)(2)(A)--
(A) by striking ``and'' at the end and inserting ``or'';
(B) by striking ``(A) is held'' and inserting ``(A) (i) is
held''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(ii) is in the State of Alaska and held by an Alaska
Native Corporation pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims
Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.); and'';]
(1) in subsection (a), by striking paragraph (2) and
inserting the following:
``(2) Indian forest land or rangeland.--The term `Indian
forest land or rangeland' means--
``(A) land that is held in trust by, or with a restriction
against alienation by, the United States for an Indian tribe
or a member of an Indian tribe, and--
``(i) is Indian forest land (as defined in section 304 of
the National Indian Forest Resources Management Act (25
U.S.C. 3103));
``(ii) has a cover of grasses, brush, or any similar
vegetation; or
``(iii) formerly had a forest cover or vegetative cover
that is capable of restoration; and
``(B) land that is in the State of Alaska and held by an
Alaska Native Corporation pursuant to the Alaska Native
Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.).'';
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) in the subsection heading, by inserting ``or Restore''
after ``Protect'';
(B) in paragraph (1), by striking ``to protect Indian
forest land or rangeland'' and all that follows through
``Indian forest land or rangeland)'' and inserting ``to
protect or restore Indian forest land or rangeland, or to
carry out a project to protect or restore Federal land''; and
(C) in paragraph (3), by striking ``that is--'' and all
that follows through the period at the end of subparagraph
(B) and inserting ``or Indian forest land or rangeland.'';
(3) in subsection (c)--
(A) in the subsection heading, by inserting ``for Federal
Land'' after ``Criteria'';
(B) by striking ``an Indian tribe,'' in the matter
preceding paragraph (1) and all that follows through ``Indian
tribe--'' in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) of
paragraph (2) and inserting the following: ``Federal land,
are whether--
``(1) the Federal land has a special geographic,
historical, or cultural significance to the Indian tribe
and--'';
(C) in paragraph (1) (as so designated)--
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking clause (i) and
inserting the following:
``(i) Indian forest land or rangeland; or''; and
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ``or watershed''
after ``land'';
(D) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) as paragraphs
(2) and (3), respectively;
(E) in paragraph (2) (as so redesignated), by striking
``subject'' and inserting ``Federal''; and
(F) in paragraph (3) (as so redesignated), by striking
``Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management'' and inserting
``Federal'';
(4) in subsection (g), by striking ``date of enactment of
this Act'' and inserting ``date of enactment of the Tribal
Forest Protection Act Amendments Act of 2024''; and
(5) by adding at the end the following:
``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this Act $15,000,000 for each
of fiscal years 2025 through 2030.''.
S. 4365
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 Services to
Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act''.
[SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.
[(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
[(1) human, animal, and environmental health are
interdependent in Native communities, Alaska Native villages,
and on Indian reservations, and holistic approaches to the
well-being of all individuals will lead to improved health
outcomes and enhanced resilience;
[(2) uncontrolled animal populations and a lack of
veterinary care in Native communities, Alaska Native
villages, and on Indian reservations increase the risk of
parasites and zoonotic diseases, dog bites, food insecurity,
and mental health issues among Alaska Natives and American
Indians;
[(3) dog bites and other injuries are common in rural areas
in the State of Alaska, with the Norton Sound Health
Corporation reporting an average of 87 bites per year in the
Bering Strait region between 2016 and 2023, and the Yukon-
Kuskokwim Health Corporation reporting an average of 98 bites
per year in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region between 2008 and
2017;
[(4) Alaska Native children have the highest incidence of
hospitalization for dog bites in the Indian Health Service
system;
[(5) in 2021, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, experienced co-
occurring outbreaks of rabies and canine distemper;
[(6) canine distemper is almost 100 percent fatal in marine
mammals, which the people of the Native Villages of Savoonga
and Gambell rely on heavily as a food source;
[(7) rabies is enzootic in arctic and red fox populations
in the northern and western coastal regions of the State of
Alaska;
[(8) wildlife outbreaks occur cyclically, and there have
been increased human exposures to rabid animals between 2020
and 2023;
[(9) rabies transmission is a significant threat in Alaska
Native communities and villages; and
[(10) as of 2024, the Indian Health Service does not employ
or use public health veterinarians to combat zoonotic disease
outbreaks or to generally advance public health preparedness
for Native communities, Alaska Native villages, or Indian
reservations, including by providing spay and neuter services
and vaccinations for animals.
[(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the Indian Health Service of the Department of Health and
Human Services is uniquely suited to empower Indian Tribes
and Tribal organizations to address zoonotic disease threats
in the communities they serve by providing public health
veterinary services through a One Health approach that
recognizes the interconnection between people, animals,
plants, and their shared environment.]
[[Page S6995]]
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that the Indian Health Service
of the Department of Health and Human Services is uniquely
suited to empower Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations to
address zoonotic disease threats in the communities they
serve by providing public health veterinary services through
a One Health approach that recognizes the interconnection
between people, animals, plants, and their shared
environment.
SEC. 3. PUBLIC HEALTH VETERINARY SERVICES.
Title II of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act is
amended by inserting after section 223 (25 U.S.C. 1621v) the
following:
``SEC. 224. PUBLIC HEALTH VETERINARY SERVICES.
``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Public health veterinary services.--The term `public
health veterinary services' includes any of the following:
``(A) spaying and neutering services for domestic animals;
``(B) diagnoses;
``(C) surveillance;
``(D) epidemiology;
``(E) control;
``(F) prevention;
``(G) elimination;
``(H) vaccination; and
``(I) any other related service or activity that reduces
the risk of zoonotic disease transmission or antimicrobial
resistance in humans, food, or animals.
``(2) Zoonotic disease.--The term `zoonotic disease' means
a disease or infection that may be transmitted naturally from
vertebrate animals to humans, or from humans to vertebrate
animals.
``(b) Authorization for Veterinary Services.--The
Secretary, acting through the Service, may expend funds,
directly or pursuant to the Indian Self-Determination and
Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.), for public
health veterinary services to prevent and control of zoonotic
disease infection and transmission in Service areas where the
risk for disease occurrence in humans and wildlife is
endemic.
[``(c) Public Health Officers.--In providing public health
veterinary services under subsection (b), the Secretary shall
deploy veterinary public health officers from the
Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service to Service
areas.
[``(d) Coordination.--The Secretary, acting through the
Service, shall carry out this section in coordination with--
[``(1) the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention; and
[``(2) the Secretary of Agriculture.]
``(c) Public Health Officers; Coordination.--In providing
public health veterinary services under subsection (b), the
Secretary may--
``(1) assign or deploy veterinary public health officers
from the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service to
Service areas; and
``(2) coordinate and implement activities with--
``(A) the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention; and
``(B) the Secretary of Agriculture.
``[(e)](d) Report.--The Secretary shall submit to the
Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate, the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, the
Committee on Natural Resources of the House of
Representatives, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of
the House of Representatives a biennial report on the use of
funds, the assignment and deployment of veterinary public
health officers from the Commissioned Corps of the Public
Health Service, data related to the monitoring and disease
surveillance of zoonotic diseases, and related services
provided under this section.''.
SEC. 4. APHIS WILDLIFE SERVICES STUDY ON ORAL RABIES VACCINES
IN ARCTIC REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this
Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall conduct a feasibility
study--
(1) on the delivery of oral rabies vaccines to wildlife
reservoir species that are directly or indirectly connected
to the transmission of rabies to Tribal members living in
Arctic regions of the United States; and
(2) that--
(A) evaluates the efficacy of the vaccines described in
paragraph (1); and
(B) makes recommendations to improve the delivery of those
vaccines.
SEC. 5. ONE HEALTH FRAMEWORK.
Section 2235(b) of the Prepare for and Respond to Existing
Viruses, Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act (42 U.S.C.
300hh-37(b)) is amended by striking ``and the Secretary of
the Interior'' and inserting ``, the Secretary of the
Interior, and the Director of the Indian Health Service''.
Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
committee-reported amendments, where applicable, be agreed to; that the
bills, as amended, be considered read a third time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The committee-reported amendments were agreed to en bloc.
The bills were ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and were
read a third time en bloc.
Mr. SCHATZ. I know of no further debate on the bills, as amended, en
bloc.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate?
The bills having been read a third time, the question is, Shall the
bills pass, en bloc?
The bills (S. 4370 and S. 4365), as amended, were passed en bloc, as
follows:
S. 4370
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 ``Tribal Forest Protection Act
Amendments Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. TRIBAL FOREST PROTECTION ACT OF 2004 AMENDMENTS.
Section 2 of the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 (25
U.S.C. 3115a) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking paragraph (2) and
inserting the following:
``(2) Indian forest land or rangeland.--The term `Indian
forest land or rangeland' means--
``(A) land that is held in trust by, or with a restriction
against alienation by, the United States for an Indian tribe
or a member of an Indian tribe, and--
``(i) is Indian forest land (as defined in section 304 of
the National Indian Forest Resources Management Act (25
U.S.C. 3103));
``(ii) has a cover of grasses, brush, or any similar
vegetation; or
``(iii) formerly had a forest cover or vegetative cover
that is capable of restoration; and
``(B) land that is in the State of Alaska and held by an
Alaska Native Corporation pursuant to the Alaska Native
Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.).'';
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) in the subsection heading, by inserting ``or Restore''
after ``Protect'';
(B) in paragraph (1), by striking ``to protect Indian
forest land or rangeland'' and all that follows through
``Indian forest land or rangeland)'' and inserting ``to
protect or restore Indian forest land or rangeland, or to
carry out a project to protect or restore Federal land''; and
(C) in paragraph (3), by striking ``that
is--'' and all that follows through the period at the end of
subparagraph (B) and inserting ``or Indian forest land or
rangeland.'';
(3) in subsection (c)--
(A) in the subsection heading, by inserting ``for Federal
Land'' after ``Criteria'';
(B) by striking ``an Indian tribe,'' in the matter
preceding paragraph (1) and all that follows through ``Indian
tribe--'' in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) of
paragraph (2) and inserting the following: ``Federal land,
are whether--
``(1) the Federal land has a special geographic,
historical, or cultural significance to the Indian tribe
and--'';
(C) in paragraph (1) (as so designated)--
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking clause (i) and
inserting the following:
``(i) Indian forest land or rangeland; or''; and
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ``or watershed''
after ``land'';
(D) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) as paragraphs
(2) and (3), respectively;
(E) in paragraph (2) (as so redesignated), by striking
``subject'' and inserting ``Federal''; and
(F) in paragraph (3) (as so redesignated), by striking
``Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management'' and inserting
``Federal'';
(4) in subsection (g), by striking ``date of enactment of
this Act'' and inserting ``date of enactment of the Tribal
Forest Protection Act Amendments Act of 2024''; and
(5) by adding at the end the following:
``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this Act $15,000,000 for each
of fiscal years 2025 through 2030.''.
S. 4365
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 Services to
Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that the Indian Health Service
of the Department of Health and Human Services is uniquely
suited to empower Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations to
address zoonotic disease threats in the communities they
serve by providing public health veterinary services through
a One Health approach that recognizes the interconnection
between people, animals, plants, and their shared
environment.
SEC. 3. PUBLIC HEALTH VETERINARY SERVICES.
Title II of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act is
amended by inserting after section 223 (25 U.S.C. 1621v) the
following:
``SEC. 224. PUBLIC HEALTH VETERINARY SERVICES.
``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Public health veterinary services.--The term `public
health veterinary services' includes any of the following:
``(A) spaying and neutering services for domestic animals;
``(B) diagnoses;
``(C) surveillance;
``(D) epidemiology;
``(E) control;
``(F) prevention;
``(G) elimination;
``(H) vaccination; and
``(I) any other related service or activity that reduces
the risk of zoonotic disease transmission or antimicrobial
resistance in humans, food, or animals.
[[Page S6996]]
``(2) Zoonotic disease.--The term `zoonotic disease' means
a disease or infection that may be transmitted naturally from
vertebrate animals to humans, or from humans to vertebrate
animals.
``(b) Authorization for Veterinary Services.--The
Secretary, acting through the Service, may expend funds,
directly or pursuant to the Indian Self-Determination and
Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.), for public
health veterinary services to prevent and control of zoonotic
disease infection and transmission in Service areas where the
risk for disease occurrence in humans and wildlife is
endemic.
``(c) Public Health Officers; Coordination.--In providing
public health veterinary services under subsection (b), the
Secretary may--
``(1) assign or deploy veterinary public health officers
from the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service to
Service areas; and
``(2) coordinate and implement activities with--
``(A) the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention; and
``(B) the Secretary of Agriculture.
``(d) Report.--The Secretary shall submit to the Committee
on Indian Affairs of the Senate, the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, the Committee
on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives, and the
Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives a biennial report on the use of funds, the
assignment and deployment of veterinary public health
officers from the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health
Service, data related to the monitoring and disease
surveillance of zoonotic diseases, and related services
provided under this section.''.
SEC. 4. APHIS WILDLIFE SERVICES STUDY ON ORAL RABIES VACCINES
IN ARCTIC REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this
Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall conduct a feasibility
study--
(1) on the delivery of oral rabies vaccines to wildlife
reservoir species that are directly or indirectly connected
to the transmission of rabies to Tribal members living in
Arctic regions of the United States; and
(2) that--
(A) evaluates the efficacy of the vaccines described in
paragraph (1); and
(B) makes recommendations to improve the delivery of those
vaccines.
SEC. 5. ONE HEALTH FRAMEWORK.
Section 2235(b) of the Prepare for and Respond to Existing
Viruses, Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act (42 U.S.C.
300hh-37(b)) is amended by striking ``and the Secretary of
the Interior'' and inserting ``, the Secretary of the
Interior, and the Director of the Indian Health Service''.
Mr. SCHATZ. I ask that the motions to reconsider be considered made
and laid upon the table en bloc.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. SCHATZ. I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________