[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 23]
[Senate]
[Page 31322]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                NATIONAL VETERINARY MEDICAL SERVICES ACT

  Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Agriculture Committee be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 
1367 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I am wondering if the Senator from Nevada is 
qualified to talk about a bill such as this.
  Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, this is legislation that I authored and 
was very proud to have authored. This is the bill that is going to help 
protect large cats from being owned in a place such as New York and 
kept in apartments.
  Mr. REID. I ask that the Senator from Nevada be listed as cosponsor 
of this important legislation.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Without objection, the clerk will report the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 1367) to authorize the Secretary of 
     Agriculture to conduct a loan repayment program regarding the 
     provision of veterinary services in shortage situations, and 
     for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, will the Senator withhold? We have had a 
very difficult day. I was trying to add a little levity to it. Senator 
Ensign is, of course, a veterinarian. He is the acting majority leader. 
I thought he was moving a bill dealing with veterinarians. I should 
bring to the attention of the American public, we have a veterinarian 
serving in the Senate.
  Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be 
read three times and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the 
table, and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (H.R. 1367) was read the third time and passed.

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