I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 159 

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 

JANUARY 3, 2017 

Mr. HASTINGS (for himself and Mr. POLIS) 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 nongovernmental 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 Sep 11 2014 00:05 Jan 10, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H159.IH H159

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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 $151,672 in 

24 2012, a 6.4 percent increase from 2011. 


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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) an accredited zoo or aquarium receiv2 ing peer-reviewed accreditation from a commis3 sioned organization that heeds rigorous publicly 

4 available standards, utilizes notable experts in 

5 the field to conduct comprehensive inspection 

6 and review, and provides opportunity for public 

7 input; 

8 (D) an accredited school or college of vet9 erinary medicine; 

10 (E) a public or nonprofit department of 

11 comparative medicine, department of veterinary 

12 science, department of the environment and 

13 natural resources, school of public health, or 

14 school of medicine that is accredited by a na15 tionally recognized accrediting agency or asso16 ciation recognized by the Secretary of Edu17 cation; 

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

19 or regional veterinary organization or specialty 

20 board recognized by the American Veterinary 

21 Medical Association; or 

22 (G) a university research foundation or 

23 veterinary medical foundation. 

24 (9) WILDLIFE OR ZOOLOGICAL VETERI25 NARIAN.—The term ‘‘wildlife or zoological veteriVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:05 Jan 10, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H159.IH H159

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1 narian’’ means an individual who has received a doc2 toral degree in veterinary medicine from an accred3 ited school or college of veterinary medicine and 

4 practices veterinary medicine as applied to wildlife 

5 populations— 

6 (A) in their natural habitat; or 

7 (B) in captivity in conservation centers in8 cluding zoos, aquariums, wildlife refuges, and 

9 breeding reserves. 

10 SEC. 5. IMPLEMENTING AUTHORITY AND COOPERATION 

11 BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES. 

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

13 In carrying out this Act, the Secretary shall cooperate 

14 with the heads of such other departments and agencies 

15 of the Federal Government as the Secretary determines 

16 necessary. 

17 TITLE I—WILDLIFE AND ZOO18 LOGICAL VETERINARY MEDI19 CINE WORKFORCE EXPAN20 SION 

21 SEC. 101. GRANTS TO CREATE POSITIONS FOR WILDLIFE 

22 AND ZOOLOGICAL VETERINARIANS. 

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

24 research positions for wildlife and zoological veterinarians, 

25 the Secretary may award grants to wildlife or veterinary 


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1 institutions that submit to the Secretary a proposal de2 signed to create such positions. A proposal— 

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

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

5 (2) shall contain such information as the Sec6 retary may require, including a description of— 

7 (A) each such position; 

8 (B) the need of the wildlife or veterinary 

9 institution for each such position; 

10 (C) how each such position will advance 

11 the conservation and management of wildlife or 

12 zoological populations; and 

13 (D) how the wildlife or veterinary institu14 tion will use funds awarded under a grant. 

15 (b) AWARD.—The Secretary shall establish proce16 dures to ensure that, under this section, proposals are rig17 orously reviewed and grants are competitively awarded 

18 based on such considerations as the Secretary may deter19 mine necessary. Such considerations shall include— 

20 (1) the ability of a wildlife or veterinary institu21 tion to describe and justify the need for each posi22 tion in its proposal under subsection (a)(2); and 

23 (2) the ability of the wildlife or veterinary insti24 tution to create such positions. 


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

2 section, the Secretary shall give preference to wildlife or 

3 veterinary institutions that will create positions in areas 

4 of need, including— 

5 (1) wildlife disease research; 

6 (2) disease surveillance; 

7 (3) wildlife disease training; 

8 (4) ecology and wildlife population manage9 ment; and 

10 (5) conservation and management of the health 

11 of endangered, threatened, and sensitive species. 

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

13 made to a wildlife or veterinary institution under this sec14 tion shall be determined by the Secretary, taking into ac15 count such factors as the Secretary may consider appro16 priate, including— 

17 (1) the contents of the proposal submitted by 

18 the wildlife or veterinary institution under subsection 

19 (a); and 

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

21 or veterinary institutions. 

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

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

24 or veterinary institution for purposes determined by the 

25 Secretary to be appropriate to create and support posiVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:05 Jan 10, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H159.IH H159

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1 tions created under the proposal submitted by the wildlife 

2 or veterinary institution under subsection (a), including 

3 the payment of— 

4 (1) salaries for such positions; and 

5 (2) costs associated with the acquisition of ma6 terial and equipment necessary for the creation of 

7 the additional positions. 

8 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

9 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

10 $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2021. 

11 Amounts appropriated under this subsection are author12 ized to remain available until expended. 

13 SEC. 102. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM FOR VETERINARY 

14 STUDENTS AND VETERINARIANS SPECIAL15 IZING IN WILDLIFE AND ZOOLOGICAL POPU16 LATIONS. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—To expand the workforce of wild18 life and zoological veterinarians, the Secretary shall estab19 lish a program, to be known as the ‘‘Wildlife and Zoolog20 ical Veterinary Workforce Loan Repayment Program’’ to 

21 enter into agreements with eligible individuals to make 

22 payments on their behalf for repayment of their edu23 cational loans. 


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

2 section, an individual shall be treated as an eligible indi3 vidual if the individual— 

4 (1) is a United States citizen, national, or law5 ful permanent resident; 

6 (2) either— 

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

8 is 10 years prior to the date on which the indi9 vidual submits an application under paragraph 

10 (3)— 

11 (i) a doctoral degree in veterinary 

12 medicine; or 

13 (ii) a graduate degree in veterinary 

14 medicine, providing that the individual re15 ceived such degree after receiving a doc16 toral degree in veterinary medicine, 

17 that has been approved by the Secretary for 

18 purposes of this section; or 

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

20 program that— 

21 (i) leads to— 

22 (I) a doctoral degree in veteri23 nary medicine; or 

24 (II) a graduate degree in veteri25 nary medicine, providing that the indiVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:05 Jan 10, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H159.IH H159

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1 vidual has received a doctoral degree 

2 in veterinary medicine; and 

3 (ii) has been approved by the Sec4 retary for purposes of this section; and 

5 (3) has prepared and submitted to the Sec6 retary an application at such time and in such form 

7 and manner as is specified by the Secretary. 

8 (c) AGREEMENT.— 

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

10 on behalf of an eligible individual under the Wildlife 

11 and Zoological Veterinary Workforce Loan Repay12 ment Program unless the eligible individual has en13 tered into an agreement with the Secretary under 

14 this subsection. 

15 (2) CONTENTS.—An agreement under this sub16 section shall contain— 

17 (A) an agreement by the Secretary to 

18 make payments under subsection (e); and 

19 (B) an agreement by the eligible indi20 vidual— 

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

22 than 4 consecutive years at a wildlife or 

23 veterinary institution as— 

24 (I) a full-time wildlife or zoolog25 ical veterinarian; or 


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1 (II) with the approval of the Sec2 retary, a part-time wildlife or zoolog3 ical veterinarian, if no full-time posi4 tions are available; and 

5 (ii) to complete the service in clause 

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

7 of the date on which the eligible indi8 vidual— 

9 (I) receives a doctoral or grad10 uate degree in veterinary medicine 

11 under subsection (b)(2); and 

12 (II) enters into the agreement 

13 under subsection (a). 

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

15 section, the Secretary shall give preference to an eligible 

16 individual who— 

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

18 degree in veterinary medicine with a specialty in 

19 wildlife or zoological veterinary medicine; or 

20 (2) is currently practicing wildlife or zoological 

21 veterinary medicine. 

22 (e) PAYMENTS.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Payments on behalf of an el24 igible individual under this section shall include pay25 ment of the principal and interest on the governVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:05 Jan 10, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H159.IH H159

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1 ment loans of the eligible individual, to the extent 

2 that the loans cover such expenses as are determined 

3 by the Secretary to be associated with obtaining a 

4 doctoral or graduate degree in veterinary medicine 

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

6 (A) tuition expenses; 

7 (B) reasonable living expenses; and 

8 (C) all other reasonable educational ex9 penses incurred by the grantee, including fees, 

10 laboratory expenses, and expenses for books 

11 and equipment. 

12 (2) AMOUNT.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the limita14 tions in subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall 

15 develop regulations to determine the amounts of 

16 payments for each eligible individual under this 

17 section, considering factors including— 

18 (i) the degree held or pursued by the 

19 eligible individual; 

20 (ii) the training programs in which 

21 the eligible individual has participated; 

22 (iii) the total loan balance paid by the 

23 eligible individual; 

24 (iv) the extent to which such deter25 mination affects the ability of the SecVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:05 Jan 10, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H159.IH H159

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1 retary to maximize the number of agree2 ments that can be provided under this sec3 tion from the amounts appropriated for 

4 such agreements; and 

5 (v) the extent to which such deter6 mination provides an incentive to serve as 

7 a wildlife or zoological veterinarian. 

8 (B) LIMITATIONS.—Payments on behalf of 

9 an eligible individual under this section shall 

10 not exceed, for each year of service under sub11 section (c)(2)(B)(i)— 

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

13 (ii) if the total loans of the eligible in14 dividual are less than $140,000, an 

15 amount that does not exceed an amount 

16 that is two-thirds of the eligible loan bal17 ance. 

18 (3) PAYMENT SCHEDULE.—The Secretary may 

19 enter into an agreement with the holder of any loan 

20 for which payments are made to establish a schedule 

21 for making payments under this subsection. 

22 (f) BREACH OF AGREEMENT.— 

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

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

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


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1 liable to the Federal Government for an amount, as 

2 determined by the Secretary, not to exceed the total 

3 amount of any payments made by the Secretary on 

4 behalf of the eligible individual under this section, 

5 and for interest on such amount at the maximum 

6 legal prevailing rate, as determined by the Treasurer 

7 of the United States, if the eligible individual fails 

8 to meet a term of the agreement in subsection 

9 (c)(2)(B). 

10 (2) DEATH.—Any obligation of an eligible indi11 vidual under the Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary 

12 Workforce Loan Repayment Program for service or 

13 payment of damages shall be canceled upon the 

14 death of the eligible individual. 

15 (3) WAIVER OR SUSPENSION OF LIABILITY.— 

16 The Secretary shall provide for the partial or total 

17 waiver or suspension of liability under paragraph 

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

19 (A) the eligible individual is called to active 

20 duty in the Armed Forces of the United States; 

21 (B) compliance by the eligible individual 

22 with the agreement is impossible or would cause 

23 extreme hardship to the eligible individual; or 


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1 (C) enforcement of the agreement with re2 spect to the eligible individual would be uncon3 scionable. 

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 on which the United States becomes so entitled. 

9 (5) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts recovered under 

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

11 making payments under this section and shall re12 main available for such purpose until expended. 

13 (6) REGULATIONS.—Prior to implementation of 

14 the Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary Workforce 

15 Loan Repayment Program, the Secretary shall es16 tablish, by regulation, procedures for determining 

17 the amount of the repayment required under para18 graph (1). 

19 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

20 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

21 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2021. 

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


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1 SEC. 103. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR VETERINARY STU2 DENTS SPECIALIZING IN WILDLIFE AND ZOO3 LOGICAL POPULATIONS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—To expand the workforce of wild5 life and zoological veterinarians, the Secretary shall estab6 lish and carry out a program, to be known as the ‘‘Wildlife 

7 and Zoological Veterinary Workforce Scholarship Pro8 gram’’, under which the Secretary shall enter into agree9 ments with eligible students to award such eligible stu10 dents scholarships for serving as wildlife or zoological vet11 erinarians at wildlife or veterinary institutions upon grad12 uation from an accredited school or college of veterinary 

13 medicine. 

14 (b) ELIGIBLE STUDENT.—For purposes of this sec15 tion, an individual shall be treated as an eligible student 

16 if the individual— 

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

18 lawful permanent resident; 

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

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

21 college of veterinary medicine; 

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

23 school or college of veterinary medicine in paragraph 

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

25 or offers courses in wildlife and zoological veterinary 

26 medicine, or any other course of study or program 


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1 that has been approved by the Secretary for the pur2 poses of this section; and 

3 (4) has submitted to the Secretary an applica4 tion, and a written contract under subsection (d), at 

5 such time and in such form and manner as is speci6 fied by the Secretary. 

7 (c) AWARD.— 

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

9 awarded to an eligible student under the Wildlife 

10 and Zoological Veterinary Workforce Scholarship 

11 Program until the Secretary has accepted the appli12 cation and written contract submitted by the eligible 

13 student under subsection (b)(4). 

14 (2) NOTICE.—The Secretary shall provide 

15 prompt written notice to an individual upon the ac16 ceptance by the Secretary, under paragraph (1), of 

17 a written contract. 

18 (d) WRITTEN CONTRACT.—A written contract be19 tween the Secretary and an eligible student under this 

20 subsection shall contain— 

21 (1) an agreement by the Secretary to provide 

22 the eligible student with a scholarship for each year 

23 of the course of study or program described in sub24 section (b)(3), for a period of no more than 4 years; 

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


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1 (A) accept the scholarship; 

2 (B) maintain enrollment in the approved 

3 course of study or program described in sub4 section (b)(3) until the individual completes the 

5 course of study or program; 

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

7 of study or program described in subsection 

8 (b)(3), such level of academic standing as is de9 termined by the accredited school or college of 

10 veterinary medicine, under regulations pre11 scribed by the Secretary, to be acceptable; 

12 (D) commence service at a wildlife or vet13 erinary institution no later than 4 years after 

14 the date the eligible student graduates from the 

15 accredited school or college of veterinary medi16 cine; and 

17 (E) serve at the wildlife or veterinary insti18 tution in subparagraph (D) for a period of no 

19 fewer than 4 consecutive years as— 

20 (i) a full-time wildlife or zoological 

21 veterinarian; or 

22 (ii) with the approval of the Secretary, 

23 a part-time wildlife or zoological veteri24 narian, if no full-time positions are avail25 able; 


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1 (3) a provision that any financial obligation of 

2 the United States arising out of a contract entered 

3 into under this section and any obligation of the in4 dividual which is conditioned thereon, is contingent 

5 upon funds being appropriated for scholarships 

6 under this section; 

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

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

9 for a breach of contract; and 

10 (5) such other statements of the rights and li11 abilities of the Secretary and of the individual as are 

12 not inconsistent with the provisions of this title. 

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

14 eligible student: 

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

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

17 scholarship, the Secretary shall consider factors in18 cluding— 

19 (A) the degree that the eligible student is 

20 pursuing or plans to pursue; 

21 (B) educational costs; 

22 (C) the financial need of the eligible stu23 dent; 

24 (D) the extent to which such determination 

25 affects the ability of the Secretary to maximize 


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1 the number of scholarships that can be provided 

2 under this section from the amounts appro3 priated for such scholarships; and 

4 (E) the extent to which such determination 

5 provides an incentive to serve as a wildlife or 

6 zoological veterinarian. 

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

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

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

10 scholarship under this section shall be used to cover such 

11 expenses, with respect to an eligible student, as are deter12 mined by the Secretary to be appropriate, including— 

13 (1) tuition expenses; 

14 (2) reasonable living expenses; and 

15 (3) all other reasonable educational expenses in16 curred by the eligible student, including fees, labora17 tory expenses, and expenses for books and equip18 ment. 

19 (g) PAYMENTS TO EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION.— 

20 Under the Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary Workforce 

21 Scholarship Program, the Secretary may contract with the 

22 accredited school or college of veterinary medicine in which 

23 an eligible student is enrolled or has been accepted for 

24 enrollment to make payments for tuition, reasonable living 


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1 expenses, and other reasonable educational expenses under 

2 subsection (f). 

3 (h) BREACH OF CONTRACT.— 

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

5 (3), an eligible student who has entered into a writ6 ten contract with the Secretary under this section 

7 shall be liable to the United States for the following 

8 amounts: 

9 (A) FAILURE TO COMPLETE COURSE OF

10 STUDY OR PROGRAM.—The eligible student 

11 shall be liable for the total amount that has 

12 been paid to the eligible student under this sec13 tion, and for interest on such amount at the 

14 maximum legal prevailing rate, as determined 

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

16 the course of study or program under sub17 section (b)(2), the eligible student— 

18 (i) fails to maintain an acceptable 

19 level of academic standing under sub20 section (d)(2)(C); 

21 (ii) is dismissed from the accredited 

22 school or college of veterinary medicine for 

23 disciplinary reasons; or 

24 (iii) voluntarily ceases to participate 

25 in the course of study or program before 


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1 completion of the course of study or pro2 gram. 

3 (B) FAILURE TO COMPLETE SERVICE OB4 LIGATION.—The eligible student shall be liable 

5 for an amount, as determined by the Secretary, 

6 not to exceed the total amount that has been 

7 awarded to the eligible student under this sec8 tion, and for interest on such amount at the 

9 maximum legal prevailing rate, as determined 

10 by the Treasurer of the United States, if the el11 igible student fails to begin or complete the 

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

13 (2) DEATH.—Any obligation of an eligible stu14 dent under the Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary 

15 Workforce Scholarship Program for service or pay16 ment of damages shall be canceled upon the death 

17 of the eligible student. 

18 (3) WAIVER OR SUSPENSION OF LIABILITY.— 

19 The Secretary shall provide for the partial or total 

20 waiver or suspension of liability under paragraph 

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

22 (A) the eligible student is called to active 

23 duty in the Armed Forces of the United States; 

24 (B) compliance by the eligible student with 

25 the written contract is impossible or would 


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1 cause extreme hardship to the eligible student; 

2 or 

3 (C) enforcement of the written contract 

4 with respect to the eligible student would be un5 conscionable. 

6 (4) DATE CERTAIN FOR RECOVERY.—Any 

7 amount that the Federal Government is entitled to 

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

9 United States not later than 3 years after the date 

10 the United States becomes so entitled. 

11 (5) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts recovered under 

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

13 making loan repayments under this section and shall 

14 remain available for such purpose until expended. 

15 (6) REGULATIONS.—Prior to implementation of 

16 the Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary Workforce 

17 Scholarship Program, the Secretary shall establish, 

18 by regulation, procedures for determining the 

19 amount of the repayment required under paragraph 

20 (1). 

21 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

22 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

23 $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2021. 

24 Amounts appropriated under this subsection are author25 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 2017 through 2021. 

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 Sep 11 2014 00:05 Jan 10, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H159.IH H159

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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 2017 through 2021. 

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

Æ 


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