Veterinary Workforce Expansion Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to eligible entities to improve public health preparedness through increasing the number of veterinarians in the workforce. Defines "eligible entities" as accredited public or nonprofit schools of veterinary medicine, departments of comparative medicine, departments of veterinary science, schools of public health, or schools of medicine that offer training for veterinarians in a public health practice area.
Requires the Secretary to give preference to applicants that demonstrate a comprehensive approach by involving more than one eligible entity.
Allows grantees to use funds to: (1) pay the costs associated with construction, the acquisition of equipment, and other capital costs relating to the expansion of existing schools or departments; and (2) pay the capital costs associated with the expansion of academic programs that offer postgraduate training for veterinarians or concurrent training for veterinary students in specific areas of specialization.
[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 914 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 914
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a competitive grant
program to build capacity in veterinary medical education and expand
the workforce of veterinarians engaged in public health practice and
biomedical research.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 27, 2005
Mr. Allard (for himself, Mr. Smith, Mr. Lott, and Mr. Durbin)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a competitive grant
program to build capacity in veterinary medical education and expand
the workforce of veterinarians engaged in public health practice and
biomedical research.
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 Workforce Expansion Act
of 2005''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Veterinary medicine is an integral and indispensable
component of the Nation's public health system. Veterinarians
protect human 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.
(2) Veterinarians are essential for early detection and
response to unusual disease events that could be linked to
newly emerging infectious diseases, such as monkeypox, SARS,
and West Nile Virus, or other biothreat agents of concern.
(3) There is a need to build national capacity in research
and training in the prevention, surveillance, diagnosis, and
control of newly emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
(4) Veterinarians are uniquely qualified to address these
high priority public health issues because of their extensive
professional training in basic biomedical sciences, population
medicine, and broad, multi-species, comparative medical
approach to disease prevention and control.
(5) There is a shortage of veterinarians working in public
health practice. As used in the preceding sentence, the term
``public health practice'' includes bioterrorism and emergency
preparedness, environmental health, food safety and food
security, regulatory medicine, diagnostic laboratory medicine,
and biomedical research.
(6) The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects there to be
28,000 job openings in the veterinary medical profession by
2012 due to growth and net replacements, a turnover of nearly
38 percent.
(7) The Nation's veterinary medical colleges do not have
the capacity to satisfy the current and future demand for
veterinarians and veterinary expertise that is vital to
maintain public health preparedness.
SEC. 3. COMPETITIVE GRANTS PROGRAM.
Part E of title VII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
294n et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Subpart 3--Veterinary Medicine
``SEC. 771. COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall award competitive grants to
eligible entities for the purpose of improving public health
preparedness through increasing the number of veterinarians in the
workforce.
``(b) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
subsection (a), an entity shall--
``(1) be--
``(A) a public or other nonprofit school of
veterinary medicine, department of comparative
medicine, department of veterinary science, school of
public health, or school of medicine that offers
postgraduate training for veterinarians in a public
health practice area as determined by the Secretary;
and
``(B) accredited by a recognized body or bodies
approved for such purpose by the Department of
Education; and
``(2) prepare and submit to the Secretary an application,
at such time, in such manner, and containing such information
as the Secretary may require.
``(c) Consideration of Applications.--The Secretary shall establish
procedures to ensure that applications under subsection (b)(2) are
rigorously reviewed and that grants are competitively awarded based
on--
``(1) the ability of the applicant to increase the number
of veterinarians who are trained in specified public practice
areas as determined by the Secretary;
``(2) the ability of the applicant to increase capacity in
research on high priority disease agents; or
``(3) any other consideration the Secretary determines
necessary.
``(d) Preference.--In awarding grants under subsection (a)(1), the
Secretary shall give preference to applicants that demonstrate a
comprehensive approach by involving more than one school of veterinary
medicine, department of comparative medicine, department of veterinary
science, school of public health, or school of medicine that offers
postgraduate training for veterinarians in a public health practice
area as determined by the Secretary.
``(e) Use of Funds.--Amounts received under a grant under this
subsection shall be used by a grantee to increase the number of
veterinarians in the workforce through--
``(1) paying the costs associated with construction, the
acquisition of equipment, and other capital costs relating to
the expansion of existing schools of veterinary medicine,
departments of comparative medicine, or departments of
veterinary science; or
``(2) paying the capital costs associated with the
expansion of academic programs that offer postgraduate training
for veterinarians or concurrent training for veterinary
students in specific areas of specialization.
``(f) Definition.--In this section, the term `public health
practice' includes bioterrorism and emergency preparedness,
environmental health, food safety and food security, regulatory
medicine, diagnostic laboratory medicine, and biomedical research.
``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--
``(1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated
to carry out this section, $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2006,
and $1,264,000,000 for the 9-fiscal year period beginning with
fiscal year 2007. Amounts appropriated under this subsection
shall remain available until expended.
``(2) Requirement.--Not more than 25 percent of the amount
appropriated under paragraph (1) in each fiscal year shall be
made available to schools of veterinary medicine that were
established after the date of enactment of this section.''.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4404)
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
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