I 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 3886 

To expand the workforce of veterinarians specialized in the care and conservation of wild animals and their ecosystems, and to develop educational 

programs focused on wildlife and zoological veterinary medicine. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 2, 2012 

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida (for himself, Mr. GRIMM, Mr. SCHRADER, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. MORAN, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. COHEN, 

Mr. KISSELL, Ms. BORDALLO, and Ms. NORTON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in 

addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of 

such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To expand the workforce of veterinarians specialized in the 

care and conservation of wild animals and their ecosystems, and to develop educational programs focused 

on wildlife and zoological veterinary medicine. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be referred to as 

5 the ‘‘Wildlife Veterinarians Employment and Training 

6 Act’’ or the ‘‘Wildlife VET Act’’. 


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1 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 

2 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. Purposes. 

Sec. 4. Definitions. 

Sec. 5. Implementing authority and cooperation between departments and agencies. 

TITLE I—WILDLIFE AND ZOOLOGICAL VETERINARY MEDICINE 

WORKFORCE EXPANSION 

Sec. 101. Grants to create positions for wildlife and zoological veterinarians. 

Sec. 102. Loan repayment program for veterinary students and veterinarians 

specializing in wildlife and zoological populations. 

Sec. 103. Scholarship program for veterinary students specializing in wildlife 

and zoological populations. 

TITLE II—WILDLIFE AND ZOOLOGICAL VETERINARY MEDICINE 

EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

Sec. 201. Grants to accredited schools and colleges of veterinary medicine for 

curricula in wildlife and zoological veterinary medicine. 

Sec. 202. Grants to develop training programs in wildlife and zoological veterinary medicine. 

3 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

4 Congress makes the following findings: 

5 (1) Fish and wildlife are important natural re6 sources of the United States. They belong to all citi7 zens, and are managed in perpetuity by State and 

8 Federal conservation agencies, often with significant 

9 assistance from universities, zoos, aquariums, and 

10 nonprofit and non-governmental organizations. 

11 (2) Wildlife and zoological veterinarians are the 

12 primary source of essential health care for wild ani13 mals in their natural habitat and in captivity in fa14 cilities such as zoos, wildlife refuges, breeding re15 serves, and aquariums. 


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1 (3) Wildlife and zoological veterinarians have 

2 the resources and expertise necessary to help re3 spond to environmental disasters and address short4 term and long-term impacts on wildlife and their 

5 habitats. Wildlife and zoological veterinarians have 

6 proven to be essential to the rescue and rehabilita7 tion efforts in the Gulf of Mexico region following 

8 the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that began on April 

9 20, 2010. 

10 (4) According to the Department of the Inte11 rior, wildlife disease expertise and resources are crit12 ical to protecting both human and animal life. 

13 (5) Wildlife veterinarians have been actively in14 volved in preventing, detecting, and responding to 

15 such important exotic, dangerous, and zoonotic dis16 eases as anthrax, avian influenza, brucellosis, tuber17 culosis, West Nile virus, SARS, chronic wasting dis18 ease, and foot and mouth disease. 

19 (6) Globalization, climate change, and wildlife 

20 habitat loss and alteration, along with a growing 

21 interface among humans, livestock, and wildlife have 

22 increased the threat posed by emerging infectious 

23 diseases to humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. 

24 (7) According to the February 2009 report by 

25 the Government Accountability Office entitled ‘‘VetVerDate Mar 15 2010 20:07 Feb 03, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3886.IH H3886

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1 erinarian Workforce: Actions Are Needed to Ensure 

2 Sufficient Capacity for Protecting Public and Ani3 mal Health’’, the Nation is facing a growing short4 age of veterinarians, and the Federal Government 

5 may not have the necessary veterinarian workforce 

6 to control pandemic and large-scale outbreaks of dis7 ease. 

8 (8) There is a shortage of positions for wildlife 

9 and zoological veterinarians at the State, Federal, 

10 nonprofit, and university levels due to inadequate 

11 funding. According to the American Veterinary Med12 ical Association (‘‘AVMA’’), less than one percent of 

13 AVMA members identify themselves as wildlife or 

14 zoological veterinarians. 

15 (9) According to the AVMA, a growing number 

16 of students enter veterinary schools with an interest 

17 in wildlife or zoological veterinary medicine, but 

18 choose different fields of study and practice due to 

19 the small number of positions available for wildlife 

20 and zoological veterinarians upon graduation. 

21 (10) Veterinary students face large educational 

22 debt upon graduation. According to the AVMA, 

23 graduating student loan debt averaged $142,613 in 

24 2011, a 6.5 percent increase from 2010. 


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1 (11) According to the American Association of 

2 Wildlife Veterinarians (‘‘AAWV’’) and National As3 sociation of Federal Veterinarians (‘‘NAFV’’), sala4 ries for wildlife and zoological veterinarians are rel5 atively low compared to the average salaries of vet6 erinarians in companion animal medicine. Lower sal7 aries, combined with high educational debt and the 

8 small number of positions available in wildlife and 

9 zoological veterinary medicine, discourage students 

10 from pursuing careers in wildlife or zoological veteri11 nary medicine. 

12 (12) According to the AAWV and NAFV, most 

13 schools and colleges of veterinary medicine lack both 

14 a comprehensive curriculum and sufficient numbers 

15 of formal educational programs specializing in wild16 life or zoological veterinary medicine to adequately 

17 prepare graduates for a competitive workplace. 

18 (13) According to the AVMA, while some train19 ing opportunities exist for aspiring wildlife and zoo20 logical veterinarians, such opportunities are not 

21 available each year, pay low salaries or stipends, if 

22 any, and are highly competitive. 

23 SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 

24 The purposes of this Act are— 


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1 (1) to create new funded positions for wildlife 

2 and zoological veterinarians; 

3 (2) to limit the amount of educational debt for 

4 veterinary medicine students while providing incen5 tives to study and practice wildlife or zoological vet6 erinary medicine; 

7 (3) to help schools and colleges of veterinary 

8 medicine develop or improve pilot curricula special9 izing in wildlife and zoological veterinary medicine; 

10 and 

11 (4) to expand the number of training programs 

12 in wildlife or zoological veterinary medicine for vet13 erinary students. 

14 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

15 For purposes of this Act, the following definitions 

16 apply: 

17 (1) ACCREDITED SCHOOL OR COLLEGE OF VET18 ERINARY MEDICINE.—The term ‘‘accredited school 

19 or college of veterinary medicine’’ means an institu20 tion of higher education (as defined in section 101 

21 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

22 1001)) that provides an educational program for 

23 which the institution awards a doctoral degree in 

24 veterinary medicine. 


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1 (2) DOCTORAL DEGREE IN VETERINARY MEDI2 CINE.—The term ‘‘doctoral degree in veterinary 

3 medicine’’ means a doctor of veterinary medicine or 

4 veterinary medical doctor from an accredited school 

5 or college of veterinary medicine. 

6 (3) GRADUATE DEGREE IN VETERINARY MEDI7 CINE.—The term ‘‘graduate degree in veterinary 

8 medicine’’ means a master’s degree or Ph.D. in vet9 erinary medicine or wildlife health management from 

10 an accredited school or college of veterinary medicine 

11 or a public or nonprofit department or school de12 scribed in paragraph (8)(E). 

13 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

14 the Secretary of the Interior. 

15 (5) STATE OR TERRITORY.—The term ‘‘State 

16 or Territory’’ means each of the several States, the 

17 District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto 

18 Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States 

19 Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the North20 ern Mariana Islands, and each federally recognized 

21 Indian tribe. 

22 (6) VETERINARY MEDICINE.—The term ‘‘veteri23 nary medicine’’ means all branches of, and special24 ties included within, the practice of veterinary medi25 cine, including— 


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1 (A) the diagnosis, treatment, correction, 

2 change, alleviation, prevention, management of, 

3 or research on animal disease, illness, pain, de4 formity, defect, injury, or other physical, dental, 

5 or mental conditions; and 

6 (B) the management of ecosystems on 

7 which wildlife and zoological populations de8 pend. 

9 (7) WILDLIFE.—The term ‘‘wildlife’’ means any 

10 member of the animal kingdom and includes mam11 mals, fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles, mollusks, or 

12 arthropods. Such term does not include plant or 

13 plant matter or any other member of another king14 dom. 

15 (8) WILDLIFE OR VETERINARY INSTITUTION.— 

16 The term ‘‘wildlife or veterinary institution’’ 

17 means— 

18 (A) any agency or department of a State 

19 or Territory or of the Federal Government that 

20 employs wildlife or zoological veterinarians, in21 cluding a wildlife conservation or natural re22 source management agency; 

23 (B) a nonprofit wildlife conservation orga24 nization; 


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1 (C) a zoo or aquarium accredited by the 

2 Association of Zoos and Aquariums; 

3 (D) an accredited school or college of vet4 erinary medicine; 

5 (E) a public or nonprofit department of 

6 comparative medicine, department of veterinary 

7 science, department of the environment and 

8 natural resources, school of public health, or 

9 school of medicine that is accredited by a na10 tionally recognized accrediting agency or asso11 ciation recognized by the Secretary of Edu12 cation; 

13 (F) a State or Territory, national, allied, 

14 or regional veterinary organization or specialty 

15 board recognized by the American Veterinary 

16 Medical Association; or 

17 (G) a university research foundation or 

18 veterinary medical foundation. 

19 (9) WILDLIFE OR ZOOLOGICAL VETERI20 NARIAN.—The term ‘‘wildlife or zoological veteri21 narian’’ means an individual who has received a doc22 toral degree in veterinary medicine from an accred23 ited school or college of veterinary medicine and 

24 practices veterinary medicine as applied to wildlife 

25 populations— 


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1 (A) in their natural habitat; or 

2 (B) in captivity in conservation centers in3 cluding zoos, aquariums, wildlife refuges, and 

4 breeding reserves. 

5 SEC. 5. IMPLEMENTING AUTHORITY AND COOPERATION 

6 BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES. 

7 The Secretary of the Interior shall carry out this Act. 

8 In carrying out this Act, the Secretary shall cooperate 

9 with the heads of such other departments and agencies 

10 of the Federal Government as the Secretary determines 

11 necessary. 

12 TITLE I—WILDLIFE AND ZOO13 LOGICAL VETERINARY MEDI14 CINE WORKFORCE EXPAN15 SION 

16 SEC. 101. GRANTS TO CREATE POSITIONS FOR WILDLIFE 

17 AND ZOOLOGICAL VETERINARIANS. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—To create additional clinical and 

19 research positions for wildlife and zoological veterinarians, 

20 the Secretary may award grants to wildlife or veterinary 

21 institutions that submit to the Secretary a proposal de22 signed to create such positions. A proposal— 

23 (1) shall be submitted at such time, and in such 

24 form and manner, as the Secretary may require; and 


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1 (2) shall contain such information as the Sec2 retary may require, including a description of— 

3 (A) each such position; 

4 (B) the need of the wildlife or veterinary 

5 institution for each such position; 

6 (C) how each such position will advance 

7 the conservation and management of wildlife or 

8 zoological populations; and 

9 (D) how the wildlife or veterinary institu10 tion will use funds awarded under a grant. 

11 (b) AWARD.—The Secretary shall establish proce12 dures to ensure that, under this section, proposals are rig13 orously reviewed and grants are competitively awarded 

14 based on such considerations as the Secretary may deter15 mine necessary. Such considerations shall include— 

16 (1) the ability of a wildlife or veterinary institu17 tion to describe and justify the need for each posi18 tion in its proposal under subsection (a)(2); and 

19 (2) the ability of the wildlife or veterinary insti20 tution to create such positions. 

21 (c) PREFERENCE.—In awarding a grant under this 

22 section, the Secretary shall give preference to wildlife or 

23 veterinary institutions that will create positions in areas 

24 of need, including— 

25 (1) wildlife disease research; 


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1 (2) disease surveillance; 

2 (3) wildlife disease training; 

3 (4) ecology and wildlife population manage4 ment; and 

5 (5) conservation and management of the health 

6 of endangered, threatened, and sensitive species. 

7 (d) AMOUNT OF GRANT.—The amount of a grant 

8 made to a wildlife or veterinary institution under this sec9 tion shall be determined by the Secretary, taking into ac10 count such factors as the Secretary may consider appro11 priate, including— 

12 (1) the contents of the proposal submitted by 

13 the wildlife or veterinary institution under subsection 

14 (a); and 

15 (2) the number of grants available to all wildlife 

16 or veterinary institutions. 

17 (e) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts received under a 

18 grant under this section shall only be used by a wildlife 

19 or veterinary institution for purposes determined by the 

20 Secretary to be appropriate to create and support posi21 tions created under the proposal submitted by the wildlife 

22 or veterinary institution under subsection (a), including 

23 the payment of— 

24 (1) salaries for such positions; and 


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1 (2) costs associated with the acquisition of ma2 terial and equipment necessary for the creation of 

3 the additional positions. 

4 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

5 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

6 $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 through 2016. 

7 Amounts appropriated under this subsection are author8 ized to remain available until expended. 

9 SEC. 102. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM FOR VETERINARY 

10 STUDENTS AND VETERINARIANS SPECIAL11 IZING IN WILDLIFE AND ZOOLOGICAL POPU12 LATIONS. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—To expand the workforce of wild14 life and zoological veterinarians, the Secretary shall estab15 lish a program, to be known as the ‘‘Wildlife and Zoolog16 ical Veterinary Workforce Loan Repayment Program’’ to 

17 enter into agreements with eligible individuals to make 

18 payments on their behalf for repayment of their edu19 cational loans. 

20 (b) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—For purposes of this 

21 section, an individual shall be treated as an eligible indi22 vidual if the individual— 

23 (1) is a United States citizen, national, or law24 ful permanent resident; 

25 (2) either— 


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1 (A) has received, not before the date that 

2 is 10 years prior to the date on which the indi3 vidual submits an application under paragraph 

4 (3)— 

5 (i) a doctoral degree in veterinary 

6 medicine; or 

7 (ii) a graduate degree in veterinary 

8 medicine, providing that the individual re9 ceived such degree after receiving a doc10 toral degree in veterinary medicine; 

11 that has been approved by the Secretary for 

12 purposes of this section; or 

13 (B) is enrolled in a full-time or part-time 

14 program that— 

15 (i) leads to— 

16 (I) a doctoral degree in veteri17 nary medicine; or 

18 (II) a graduate degree in veteri19 nary medicine, providing that the indi20 vidual has received a doctoral degree 

21 in veterinary medicine; and 

22 (ii) has been approved by the Sec23 retary for purposes of this section; and 


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1 (3) has prepared and submitted to the Sec2 retary an application at such time and in such form 

3 and manner as is specified by the Secretary. 

4 (c) AGREEMENT.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—No payment shall be made 

6 on behalf of an eligible individual under the Wildlife 

7 and Zoological Veterinary Workforce Loan Repay8 ment Program unless the eligible individual has en9 tered into an agreement with the Secretary under 

10 this subsection. 

11 (2) CONTENTS.—An agreement under this sub12 section shall contain— 

13 (A) an agreement by the Secretary to 

14 make payments under subsection (e); and 

15 (B) an agreement by the eligible indi16 vidual— 

17 (i) to serve for a period of no fewer 

18 than 4 consecutive years at a wildlife or 

19 veterinary institution as— 

20 (I) a full-time wildlife or zoolog21 ical veterinarian; or 

22 (II) with the approval of the Sec23 retary, a part-time wildlife or zoolog24 ical veterinarian, if no full-time posi25 tions are available; and 


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1 (ii) to complete the service in clause 

2 (i) not later than 10 years after the later 

3 of the date on which the eligible indi4 vidual— 

5 (I) receives a doctoral or grad6 uate degree in veterinary medicine 

7 under subsection (b)(2); and 

8 (II) enters into the agreement 

9 under subsection (a). 

10 (d) PREFERENCE.—In making payments under this 

11 section, the Secretary shall give preference to an eligible 

12 individual who— 

13 (1) holds or is pursuing a doctoral or graduate 

14 degree in veterinary medicine with a specialty in 

15 wildlife or zoological veterinary medicine; or 

16 (2) is currently practicing wildlife or zoological 

17 veterinary medicine. 

18 (e) PAYMENTS.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Payments on behalf of an el20 igible individual under this section shall include pay21 ment of the principal and interest on the govern22 ment loans of the eligible individual, to the extent 

23 that the loans cover such expenses as are determined 

24 by the Secretary to be associated with obtaining a 


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1 doctoral or graduate degree in veterinary medicine 

2 under subsection (b)(2), including— 

3 (A) tuition expenses; 

4 (B) reasonable living expenses; and 

5 (C) all other reasonable educational ex6 penses incurred by the grantee, including fees, 

7 laboratory expenses, and expenses for books 

8 and equipment. 

9 (2) AMOUNT.— 

10 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the limita11 tions in subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall 

12 develop regulations to determine the amounts of 

13 payments for each eligible individual under this 

14 section, considering factors including— 

15 (i) the degree held or pursued by the 

16 eligible individual; 

17 (ii) the training programs in which 

18 the eligible individual has participated; 

19 (iii) the total loan balance paid by the 

20 eligible individual; 

21 (iv) the extent to which such deter22 mination affects the ability of the Sec23 retary to maximize the number of agree24 ments that can be provided under this secVerDate Mar 15 2010 20:07 Feb 03, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3886.IH H3886

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1 tion from the amounts appropriated for 

2 such agreements; and 

3 (v) the extent to which such deter4 mination provides an incentive to serve as 

5 a wildlife or zoological veterinarian. 

6 (B) LIMITATIONS.—Payments on behalf of 

7 an eligible individual under this section shall 

8 not exceed, for each year of service under sub9 section (c)(2)(B)(i)— 

10 (i) $35,000 in aggregate; or 

11 (ii) if the total loans of the eligible in12 dividual are less than $140,000, an 

13 amount that does not exceed an amount 

14 that is two-thirds of the eligible loan bal15 ance. 

16 (3) PAYMENT SCHEDULE.—The Secretary may 

17 enter into an agreement with the holder of any loan 

18 for which payments are made to establish a schedule 

19 for making payments under this subsection. 

20 (f) BREACH OF AGREEMENT.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraphs (2) 

22 and (3), in the case of any agreement entered into 

23 under subsection (a), an eligible individual shall be 

24 liable to the Federal Government for an amount, as 

25 determined by the Secretary, not to exceed the total 


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1 amount of any payments made by the Secretary on 

2 behalf of the eligible individual under this section, 

3 and for interest on such amount at the maximum 

4 legal prevailing rate, as determined by the Treasurer 

5 of the United States, if the eligible individual fails 

6 to meet a term of the agreement in subsection 

7 (c)(2)(B). 

8 (2) DEATH.—Any obligation of an eligible indi9 vidual under the Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary 

10 Workforce Loan Repayment Program for service or 

11 payment of damages shall be cancelled upon the 

12 death of the eligible individual. 

13 (3) WAIVER OR SUSPENSION OF LIABILITY.— 

14 The Secretary shall provide for the partial or total 

15 waiver or suspension of liability under paragraph 

16 (1), or of an obligation under subsection (c)(2), if— 

17 (A) the eligible individual is called to active 

18 duty in the Armed Forces of the United States; 

19 (B) compliance by the eligible individual 

20 with the agreement is impossible or would cause 

21 extreme hardship to the eligible individual; or 

22 (C) enforcement of the agreement with re23 spect to the eligible individual would be uncon24 scionable. 


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1 (4) DATE CERTAIN FOR RECOVERY.—Any 

2 amount that the Federal Government is entitled to 

3 recover under paragraph (1) shall be paid to the 

4 United States not later than 3 years after the date 

5 on which the United States becomes so entitled. 

6 (5) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts recovered under 

7 paragraph (1) shall be available to the Secretary for 

8 making payments under this section and shall re9 main available for such purpose until expended. 

10 (6) REGULATIONS.—Prior to implementation of 

11 the Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary Workforce 

12 Loan Repayment Program, the Secretary shall es13 tablish, by regulation, procedures for determining 

14 the amount of the repayment required under para15 graph (1). 

16 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

17 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

18 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 through 2016. 

19 Amounts appropriated under this subsection are author20 ized to remain available until expended. 

21 SEC. 103. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR VETERINARY STU22 DENTS SPECIALIZING IN WILDLIFE AND ZOO23 LOGICAL POPULATIONS. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—To expand the workforce of wild25 life and zoological veterinarians, the Secretary shall estabVerDate Mar 15 2010 20:07 Feb 03, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3886.IH H3886

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1 lish and carry out a program, to be known as the ‘‘Wildlife 

2 and Zoological Veterinary Workforce Scholarship Pro3 gram’’, under which the Secretary shall enter into agree4 ments with eligible students to award such eligible stu5 dents scholarships for serving as wildlife or zoological vet6 erinarians at wildlife or veterinary institutions upon grad7 uation from an accredited school or college of veterinary 

8 medicine. 

9 (b) ELIGIBLE STUDENT.—For purposes of this sec10 tion, an individual shall be treated as an eligible student 

11 if the individual— 

12 (1) is a United States citizen, national, or a 

13 lawful permanent resident; 

14 (2) is enrolled full-time, or has been accepted 

15 for full-time enrollment, at an accredited school or 

16 college of veterinary medicine; 

17 (3) enrolls or plans to enroll, at the accredited 

18 school or college of veterinary medicine in paragraph 

19 (2), in a course of study or program that specializes 

20 or offers courses in wildlife and zoological veterinary 

21 medicine, or any other course of study or program 

22 that has been approved by the Secretary for the pur23 poses of this section; and 

24 (4) has submitted to the Secretary an applica25 tion, and a written contract under subsection (d), at 


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1 such time and in such form and manner as is speci2 fied by the Secretary. 

3 (c) AWARD.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—No scholarship shall be 

5 awarded to an eligible student under the Wildlife 

6 and Zoological Veterinary Workforce Scholarship 

7 Program until the Secretary has accepted the appli8 cation and written contract submitted by the eligible 

9 student under subsection (b)(4). 

10 (2) NOTICE.—The Secretary shall provide 

11 prompt written notice to an individual upon the ac12 ceptance by the Secretary, under paragraph (1), of 

13 a written contract. 

14 (d) WRITTEN CONTRACT.—A written contract be15 tween the Secretary and an eligible student under this 

16 subsection shall contain— 

17 (1) an agreement by the Secretary to provide 

18 the eligible student with a scholarship for each year 

19 of the course of study or program described in sub20 section (b)(3), for a period of no more than 4 years; 

21 (2) an agreement by the eligible student to— 

22 (A) accept the scholarship; 

23 (B) maintain enrollment in the approved 

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1 section (b)(3) until the individual completes the 

2 course of study or program; 

3 (C) maintain, over the course of the course 

4 of study or program described in subsection 

5 (b)(3), such level of academic standing as is de6 termined by the accredited school or college of 

7 veterinary medicine, under regulations pre8 scribed by the Secretary, to be acceptable; 

9 (D) commence service at a wildlife or vet10 erinary institution no later than 4 years after 

11 the date the eligible student graduates from the 

12 accredited school or college of veterinary medi13 cine; and 

14 (E) serve at the wildlife or veterinary insti15 tution in subparagraph (D) for a period of no 

16 fewer than 4 consecutive years as— 

17 (i) a full-time wildlife or zoological 

18 veterinarian; or 

19 (ii) with the approval of the Secretary, 

20 a part-time wildlife or zoological veteri21 narian, if no full-time positions are avail22 able; 

23 (3) a provision that any financial obligation of 

24 the United States arising out of a contract entered 

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1 dividual which is conditioned thereon, is contingent 

2 upon funds being appropriated for scholarships 

3 under this section; 

4 (4) a statement of the damages to which the 

5 United States shall be entitled, under subsection (i), 

6 for a breach of contract; and 

7 (5) such other statements of the rights and li8 abilities of the Secretary and of the individual as are 

9 not inconsistent with the provisions of this title. 

10 (e) AMOUNT OF SCHOLARSHIP.—With respect to an 

11 eligible student: 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the limitation in 

13 paragraph (2), in determining the amount of a 

14 scholarship, the Secretary shall consider factors in15 cluding— 

16 (A) the degree that the eligible student is 

17 pursuing or plans to pursue; 

18 (B) educational costs; 

19 (C) the financial need of the eligible stu20 dent; 

21 (D) the extent to which such determination 

22 affects the ability of the Secretary to maximize 

23 the number of scholarships that can be provided 

24 under this section from the amounts appro25 priated for such scholarships; and 


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1 (E) the extent to which such determination 

2 provides an incentive to serve as a wildlife or 

3 zoological veterinarian. 

4 (2) LIMITATION.—The amount of a scholarship 

5 shall not exceed $35,000 for any school year. 

6 (f) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts received under a 

7 scholarship under this section shall be used to cover such 

8 expenses, with respect to an eligible student, as are deter9 mined by the Secretary to be appropriate, including— 

10 (1) tuition expenses; 

11 (2) reasonable living expenses; and 

12 (3) all other reasonable educational expenses in13 curred by the eligible student, including fees, labora14 tory expenses, and expenses for books and equip15 ment. 

16 (g) PAYMENTS TO EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION.— 

17 Under the Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary Workforce 

18 Scholarship Program, the Secretary may contract with the 

19 accredited school or college of veterinary medicine in which 

20 an eligible student is enrolled or has been accepted for 

21 enrollment to make payments for tuition, reasonable living 

22 expenses, and other reasonable educational expenses under 

23 subsection (f). 

24 (h) BREACH OF CONTRACT.— 


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1 (1) LIABILITY.—Subject to paragraphs (2) and 

2 (3), an eligible student who has entered into a writ3 ten contract with the Secretary under this section 

4 shall be liable to the United States for the following 

5 amounts: 

6 (A) FAILURE TO COMPLETE COURSE OF

7 STUDY OR PROGRAM.—The eligible student 

8 shall be liable for the total amount that has 

9 been paid to the eligible student under this sec10 tion, and for interest on such amount at the 

11 maximum legal prevailing rate, as determined 

12 by the Treasurer of the United States, if, under 

13 the course of study or program under sub14 section (b)(2), the eligible student— 

15 (i) fails to maintain an acceptable 

16 level of academic standing under sub17 section (d)(2)(C); 

18 (ii) is dismissed from the accredited 

19 school or college of veterinary medicine for 

20 disciplinary reasons; or 

21 (iii) voluntarily ceases to participate 

22 in the course of study or program before 

23 completion of the course of study or pro24 gram. 


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1 (B) FAILURE TO COMPLETE SERVICE OB2 LIGATION.—The eligible student shall be liable 

3 for an amount, as determined by the Secretary, 

4 not to exceed the total amount that has been 

5 awarded to the eligible student under this sec6 tion, and for interest on such amount at the 

7 maximum legal prevailing rate, as determined 

8 by the Treasurer of the United States, if the el9 igible student fails to begin or complete the 

10 service obligation under subsection (d)(2)(D). 

11 (2) DEATH.—Any obligation of an eligible stu12 dent under the Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary 

13 Workforce Scholarship Program for service or pay14 ment of damages shall be cancelled upon the death 

15 of the eligible student. 

16 (3) WAIVER OR SUSPENSION OF LIABILITY.— 

17 The Secretary shall provide for the partial or total 

18 waiver or suspension of liability under paragraph 

19 (1), or of an obligation under subsection (d)(2), if— 

20 (A) the eligible student is called to active 

21 duty in the Armed Forces of the United States; 

22 (B) compliance by the eligible student with 

23 the written contract is impossible or would 

24 cause extreme hardship to the eligible student; 

25 or 


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1 (C) enforcement of the written contract 

2 with respect to the eligible student would be un3 conscionable. 

4 (4) DATE CERTAIN FOR RECOVERY.—Any 

5 amount that the Federal Government is entitled to 

6 recover under paragraph (1) shall be paid to the 

7 United States not later than 3 years after the date 

8 the United States becomes so entitled. 

9 (5) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts recovered under 

10 paragraph (1) shall be available to the Secretary for 

11 making loan repayments under this section and shall 

12 remain available for such purpose until expended. 

13 (6) REGULATIONS.—Prior to implementation of 

14 the Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary Workforce 

15 Scholarship Program, the Secretary shall establish, 

16 by regulation, procedures for determining the 

17 amount of the repayment required under paragraph 

18 (1). 

19 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

20 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

21 $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 through 2016. 

22 Amounts appropriated under this subsection are author23 ized to remain available until expended. 


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1 TITLE II—WILDLIFE AND ZOO2 LOGICAL VETERINARY MEDI3 CINE EDUCATIONAL DEVEL4 OPMENT 

5 SEC. 201. GRANTS TO ACCREDITED SCHOOLS AND COL6 LEGES OF VETERINARY MEDICINE FOR CUR7 RICULA IN WILDLIFE AND ZOOLOGICAL VET8 ERINARY MEDICINE. 

9 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 1 year after 

10 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall es11 tablish a pilot program to award grants to accredited 

12 schools and colleges of veterinary medicine to develop or 

13 improve new or existing curricula that specialize in wildlife 

14 or zoological veterinary medicine, to be available to veteri15 nary students in the final years of a program for which 

16 the accredited schools or colleges of veterinary medicine 

17 award a doctoral degree in veterinary medicine. 

18 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for a grant under 

19 this section, an accredited school or college of veterinary 

20 medicine shall submit to the Secretary a proposal— 

21 (1) at such time and in such form and manner 

22 as the Secretary may require; and 

23 (2) containing such information as the Sec24 retary may require, including a description of— 


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1 (A) the proposed curriculum in wildlife or 

2 zoological veterinary medicine under subsection 

3 (a); and 

4 (B) how the accredited school or college of 

5 veterinary medicine will use funds provided 

6 under the grant. 

7 (c) AWARD.—The Secretary shall establish proce8 dures to ensure that proposals are rigorously reviewed and 

9 that grants are competitively awarded. 

10 (d) AMOUNT.—The Secretary shall determine the 

11 amount of a grant awarded to an accredited school or col12 lege of veterinary medicine under this section, taking into 

13 account such factors as the Secretary considers appro14 priate, including— 

15 (1) the contents of the proposal submitted by 

16 the eligible accredited school or college of veterinary 

17 medicine under subsection (b); and 

18 (2) the number of grants available to all accred19 ited schools or colleges of veterinary medicine. 

20 (e) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.—Amounts received 

21 under a grant under this section shall be used to pay ex22 penses related to the curriculum described in subsection 

23 (b)(2)(A) that are determined by the Secretary to be ap24 propriate, including the expense of— 

25 (1) developing the curriculum; 


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1 (2) paying for the costs associated with the de2 velopment of the curriculum, including faculty sala3 ries and the costs of acquisition of material and 

4 equipment; and 

5 (3) providing the curriculum. 

6 (f) REPORTS.— 

7 (1) GRANTEES.—At the end of each calendar 

8 year, each school that has received a grant under 

9 this section for such year shall submit to the Sec10 retary a report, in such form and manner and con11 taining such information as the Secretary may re12 quire, on the effectiveness of the curriculum devel13 oped by the school. 

14 (2) SECRETARY.—Not later than 6 months 

15 after completion of the pilot program established 

16 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall evaluate 

17 the curriculum developed by each school that has re18 ceived a grant under this section and submit to Con19 gress a report on the pilot program— 

20 (A) in such form and manner as Congress 

21 may require; and 

22 (B) containing such information as Con23 gress may require, including— 


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1 (i) the names of the accredited schools 

2 and colleges of veterinary medicine that re3 ceived a grant under this section; 

4 (ii) the number of students enrolled in 

5 each curriculum developed with grant 

6 funds; 

7 (iii) a description of each curriculum 

8 developed with grant funds; 

9 (iv) an assessment of the effectiveness 

10 of the pilot program; and 

11 (v) the recommendations of the Sec12 retary regarding the extension or expan13 sion of the pilot program. 

14 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

15 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

16 $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 through 2016. 

17 Amounts appropriated under this subsection are author18 ized to remain available until expended. 

19 SEC. 202. GRANTS TO DEVELOP TRAINING PROGRAMS IN 

20 WILDLIFE AND ZOOLOGICAL VETERINARY 

21 MEDICINE. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award com23 petitive grants to eligible wildlife or veterinary institutions 

24 to establish or expand, for traineeship candidates, training 

25 programs that will enhance the ability of a trainee to pracVerDate Mar 15 2010 20:07 Feb 03, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3886.IH H3886

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1 tice as a wildlife or zoological veterinarian, as determined 

2 by the Secretary of the Interior. Such training programs 

3 may include externship, internship, fellowship, or resi4 dency programs. 

5 (b) ELIGIBLE WILDLIFE OR VETERINARY INSTITU6 TION.—To be eligible for a grant under this section, a 

7 wildlife or veterinary institution shall submit to the Sec8 retary a proposal designed to create or expand one or more 

9 training programs for traineeship candidates. The pro10 posal— 

11 (1) shall be submitted at such time and in such 

12 form and manner as the Secretary may require; and 

13 (2) shall contain such information as the Sec14 retary may require, including a description of— 

15 (A) each training program to be created or 

16 expanded; 

17 (B) the skills to be imparted by each train18 ing program; 

19 (C) how the wildlife or veterinary institu20 tion will use the funds provided under a grant; 

21 and 

22 (D) how each training program will help a 

23 trainee advance conservation and management 

24 goals for wildlife or zoological animal popu25 lations. 


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1 (c) CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSALS.— 

2 (1) PREFERENCE.—In awarding a grant under 

3 this section, the Secretary shall give preference to an 

4 eligible wildlife or veterinary institution offering a 

5 training program— 

6 (A) at rotating sites, particularly in the 

7 case of a residency program; and 

8 (B) under which trainees conduct research 

9 and teach veterinary students. 

10 (2) PROCEDURES.—The Secretary shall estab11 lish procedures to ensure that proposals are rigor12 ously reviewed and that grants are competitively 

13 awarded. 

14 (d) TRAINEESHIP CANDIDATE.—For purposes of this 

15 section, an individual shall be treated as a traineeship can16 didate if the individual— 

17 (1) is a citizen of the United States, a national, 

18 or a lawful permanent resident; 

19 (2) expresses a profound interest in wildlife or 

20 zoological veterinary medicine and a commitment to 

21 becoming a wildlife or zoological veterinarian; and 

22 (3) has submitted to a wildlife or veterinary in23 stitution offering a training program under sub24 section (a) an application for the training program 


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1 containing such information as may be required by 

2 the wildlife or veterinary institution. 

3 (e) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE UNDER TRAINING PRO4 GRAM.—Under a training program, a trainee shall, for the 

5 duration of the training program, be provided with— 

6 (1) a stipend, in an amount based on criteria 

7 to be determined by the wildlife or veterinary insti8 tution, including— 

9 (A) the type and length of the training 

10 program; 

11 (B) the responsibilities assigned to the 

12 trainee as part of the training program; 

13 (C) the academic level or degree held by 

14 the trainee; and 

15 (D) the relevant experience of the trainee; 

16 and 

17 (2) such other financial assistance as the wild18 life or veterinary institution determines necessary 

19 and is approved by the Secretary. 

20 (f) APPROVAL OF PLACEMENT UNDER TRAINING

21 PROGRAM.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—No traineeship candidate 

23 shall be placed in a training program without the 

24 approval of the Secretary. 


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1 (2) NOTICE.—A traineeship candidate shall be 

2 informed of placement in a training program upon 

3 approval by the Secretary. 

4 (g) AMOUNT OF GRANT.—The Secretary shall deter5 mine the amount of a grant awarded under this section 

6 for a training program, taking into account such factors 

7 as the Secretary considers appropriate, including— 

8 (1) the type of training that the wildlife or vet9 erinary institution desires to create or expand; 

10 (2) the contents of the proposal submitted by 

11 the wildlife or veterinary institution under subsection 

12 (b); and 

13 (3) the number of grants available to all wildlife 

14 or veterinary institutions. 

15 (h) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.—Under this section, 

16 amounts received under a grant shall be applied to such 

17 costs as the Secretary considers appropriate for the plan18 ning, development, and operation of the training program, 

19 including the costs associated with— 

20 (1) the development of the curriculum to be 

21 used in the program; 

22 (2) practicum experiences; 

23 (3) the acquisition of new equipment; and 

24 (4) the stipend and other financial assistance 

25 provided to the trainee under subsection (e). 


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1 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

2 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

3 $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 through 2016. 

4 Amounts appropriated under this subsection are author5 ized to remain available until expended. 

Æ 


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