I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4497 

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 21, 2010 

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida (for himself, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. GRIJALVA, 

Ms. BORDALLO, and Mr. BROWN of South Carolina) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in 

addition to the Committees on Natural Resources and Ways and Means, 

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 and Zoological Veterinary Medicine En6 hancement Act of 2010’’. 


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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) According to the Department of the Inte2 rior, wildlife disease expertise and resources are crit3 ical to protecting both human and animal life. 

4 (4) Wildlife veterinarians have been actively in5 volved in preventing, detecting, and responding to 

6 such important exotic, dangerous, and zoonotic dis7 eases as anthrax, avian influenza, brucellosis, tuber8 culosis, West Nile virus, SARS, chronic wasting dis9 ease, and foot and mouth disease. 

10 (5) Globalization, climate change, and wildlife 

11 habitat loss and alteration, along with a growing 

12 interface among humans, livestock, and wildlife have 

13 increased the threat posed by emerging infectious 

14 diseases to humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. 

15 (6) According to the February 2009 report by 

16 the Government Accountability Office entitled ‘‘Vet17 erinarian Workforce: Actions Are Needed to Ensure 

18 Sufficient Capacity for Protecting Public and Ani19 mal Health’’, the Nation is facing a growing short20 age of veterinarians, and the Federal government 

21 may not have the necessary veterinarian workforce 

22 to control pandemic and large-scale outbreaks of dis23 ease. 

24 (7) There is a shortage of positions for wildlife 

25 and zoological veterinarians at the State, Federal, 


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1 nonprofit, and university levels due to inadequate 

2 funding. According to the American Veterinary Med3 ical Association (‘‘AVMA’’), less than one percent of 

4 AVMA members identify themselves as wildlife or 

5 zoological veterinarians. 

6 (8) According to the AVMA, a growing number 

7 of students enter veterinary schools with an interest 

8 in wildlife or zoological veterinary medicine, but 

9 choose different fields of study and practice due to 

10 the small number of positions available for wildlife 

11 and zoological veterinarians upon graduation. 

12 (9) Veterinary students face large educational 

13 debt upon graduation. According to the AVMA, 

14 graduating student loan debt averaged $130,000 in 

15 2009. 

16 (10) According to the American Association of 

17 Wildlife Veterinarians (‘‘AAWV’’) and National As18 sociation of Federal Veterinarians (‘‘NAFV’’), sala19 ries for wildlife and zoological veterinarians are rel20 atively low compared to the average salaries of vet21 erinarians in companion animal medicine. Lower sal22 aries, combined with high educational debt and the 

23 small number of positions available in wildlife and 

24 zoological veterinary medicine, discourage students 


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1 from pursuing careers in wildlife or zoological veteri2 nary medicine. 

3 (11) According to the AAWV and NAFV, 

4 schools and colleges of veterinary medicine lack both 

5 a comprehensive curriculum and sufficient numbers 

6 of formal educational programs specializing in wild7 life or zoological veterinary medicine to adequately 

8 prepare graduates for a competitive workplace. 

9 (12) Upon graduation from a school or college 

10 of veterinary medicine, veterinarians often lack the 

11 credentials and sufficient relevant professional expe12 rience to allow them to make significant contribu13 tions to, or make them competitive for, the few posi14 tions available for wildlife and zoological veterinar15 ians. 

16 (13) According to the AVMA, while some train17 ing opportunities exist for aspiring wildlife and zoo18 logical veterinarians, such opportunities are not 

19 available each year, pay low salaries or stipends, and 

20 are highly competitive. 

21 SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 

22 The purposes of this Act are— 

23 (1) to create new funded positions for wildlife 

24 and zoological veterinarians; 


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

2 veterinary medicine students while providing incen3 tives to study and practice wildlife or zoological vet4 erinary medicine; 

5 (3) to help schools and colleges of veterinary 

6 medicine develop pilot curricula specializing in wild7 life and zoological veterinary medicine; and 

8 (4) to expand the number of training programs 

9 in wildlife or zoological veterinary medicine for vet10 erinary students. 

11 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

12 For purposes of this Act, the following definitions 

13 apply: 

14 (1) AAWV.—The term ‘‘AAWV’’ means the 

15 American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians. 

16 (2) ACCREDITED SCHOOL OR COLLEGE OF VET17 ERINARY MEDICINE.—The term ‘‘accredited school 

18 or college of veterinary medicine’’ means an institu19 tion of higher education (as defined in section 101 

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

21 1001)) that provides an educational program for 

22 which the institution awards a doctoral degree in 

23 veterinary medicine. 

24 (3) AVMA.—The term ‘‘AVMA’’ means the 

25 American Veterinary Medical Association. 


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1 (4) 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 (5) 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 from an accredited school or college 

10 of veterinary medicine. 

11 (6) NAFV.—The term ‘‘NAFV’’ means the Na12 tional Association of Federal Veterinarians. 

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

14 the Secretary of the Interior. 

15 (8) 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. 

21 (9) VETERINARY MEDICINE.—The term ‘‘veteri22 nary medicine’’ means all branches of, and special23 ties included within, the practice of veterinary medi24 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 (10) WILDLIFE.—The term ‘‘wildlife’’ means 

10 any member of the animal kingdom and includes 

11 mammals, fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles, mollusks, 

12 or arthropods. Such term does not include plant or 

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

15 (11) WILDLIFE OR VETERINARY INSTITU16 TION.—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 (‘‘AZA’’); 

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

5 (E) a public or nonprofit department of 

6 comparative medicine, department of compara7 tive medicine, department of veterinary science, 

8 school of public health, or school of medicine 

9 that is accredited by a nationally recognized ac10 crediting agency or association recognized by 

11 the Secretary of Education; 

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

13 or regional veterinary organization or specialty 

14 board recognized by the American Veterinary 

15 Medical Association; or 

16 (G) a university research foundation or 

17 veterinary medical foundation. 

18 (12) WILDLIFE OR ZOOLOGICAL VETERI19 NARIAN.—The term ‘‘wildlife or zoological veteri20 narian’’ means an individual who has received a doc21 toral degree in veterinary medicine from an accred22 ited school or college of veterinary medicine and 

23 practices veterinary medicine as applied to wildlife 

24 populations— 

25 (A) in their natural habitat; or 


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1 (B) in captivity in conservation centers in2 cluding zoos, aquariums, wildlife refuges, and 

3 breeding reserves. 

4 SEC. 5. IMPLEMENTING AUTHORITY AND COOPERATION 

5 BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES. 

6 The Secretary of the Interior, acting, as the Sec7 retary determines appropriate, through the Director of the 

8 National Wildlife Health Center of the United States Geo9 logical Survey, or through other heads of agencies within 

10 the Department of the Interior, shall carry out this Act. 

11 The Secretary shall cooperate with the heads of other ex12 ecutive departments and agencies, including the Secretary 

13 of Agriculture, the Secretary of Health and Human Serv14 ices, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Edu15 cation, as appropriate to carry out this Act. 

16 TITLE I—WILDLIFE AND ZOO17 LOGICAL VETERINARY MEDI18 CINE WORKFORCE EXPAN19 SION 

20 SEC. 101. GRANTS TO CREATE POSITIONS FOR WILDLIFE 

21 AND ZOOLOGICAL VETERINARIANS. 

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

23 research positions for wildlife and zoological veterinarians, 

24 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 Nov 24 2008 22:41 Jan 22, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4497.IH H4497

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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 $10,000,000 for fiscal year 

10 2010, and such sums as may be necessary for each subse11 quent fiscal year, for grants under this section. Amounts 

12 appropriated under this subsection are authorized to re13 main available until expended. 

14 SEC. 102. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM FOR VETERINARY 

15 STUDENTS AND VETERINARIANS SPECIAL16 IZING IN WILDLIFE AND ZOOLOGICAL POPU17 LATIONS. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—To expand the workforce of wild19 life and zoological veterinarians, the Secretary shall estab20 lish a program, to be known as the ‘‘Wildlife and Zoolog21 ical Veterinary Workforce Loan Repayment Program’’ to 

22 enter into agreements with eligible individuals to make 

23 payments on their behalf for repayment of their edu24 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 an accredited school or 

20 college of veterinary medicine in a full-time or 

21 part-time program that— 

22 (i) leads to— 

23 (I) a doctoral degree in veteri24 nary medicine; or 


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1 (II) a graduate degree in veteri2 nary medicine, providing that the indi3 vidual has received a doctoral degree 

4 in veterinary medicine; and 

5 (ii) has been approved by the Sec6 retary for purposes of this section; and 

7 (3) has prepared and submitted to the Sec8 retary an application at such time and in such form 

9 and manner as is specified by the Secretary. 

10 (c) AGREEMENT.— 

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

12 on behalf of an eligible individual under the Wildlife 

13 and Zoological Veterinary Workforce Loan Repay14 ment Program unless the eligible individual has en15 tered into an agreement with the Secretary under 

16 this subsection. 

17 (2) CONTENTS.—An agreement under this sub18 section shall contain— 

19 (A) an agreement by the Secretary to 

20 make payments under subsection (e); and 

21 (B) an agreement by the eligible indi22 vidual— 

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

24 than 4 consecutive years at a wildlife or 

25 veterinary institution as— 


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1 (I) a full-time wildlife or zoolog2 ical veterinarian; or 

3 (II) with the approval of the Sec4 retary, a part-time wildlife or zoolog5 ical veterinarian, if no full-time posi6 tions are available; and 

7 (ii) to complete the service in clause 

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

9 of the date on which the eligible indi10 vidual— 

11 (I) receives a doctoral or grad12 uate degree in veterinary medicine 

13 under subsection (b)(2); and 

14 (II) enters into the agreement 

15 under subsection (a). 

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

17 section, the Secretary shall give preference to an eligible 

18 individual who— 

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

20 degree in veterinary medicine with a specialty in 

21 wildlife or zoological veterinary medicine; or 

22 (2) is currently practicing wildlife or zoological 

23 veterinary medicine. 

24 (e) PAYMENTS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Payments on behalf of an el2 igible individual under this section shall include pay3 ment of the principal and interest on the govern4 ment loans of the eligible individual, to the extent 

5 that the loans cover such expenses as are determined 

6 by the Secretary to be associated with obtaining a 

7 doctoral or graduate degree in veterinary medicine 

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

9 (A) tuition expenses; 

10 (B) reasonable living expenses; and 

11 (C) all other reasonable educational ex12 penses incurred by the grantee, including fees, 

13 laboratory expenses, and expenses for books 

14 and equipment. 

15 (2) AMOUNT.— 

16 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the limita17 tions in subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall 

18 develop regulations to determine the amounts of 

19 payments for each eligible individual under this 

20 section, considering factors including— 

21 (i) the degree held or pursued by the 

22 eligible individual; 

23 (ii) the training programs in which 

24 the eligible individual has participated; 


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1 (iii) the total loan balance paid by the 

2 eligible individual; 

3 (iv) the extent to which such deter4 mination affects the ability of the Sec5 retary to maximize the number of agree6 ments that can be provided under this sec7 tion from the amounts appropriated for 

8 such agreements; and 

9 (v) the extent to which such deter10 mination provides an incentive to serve as 

11 a wildlife or zoological veterinarian. 

12 (B) LIMITATIONS.—Payments on behalf of 

13 an eligible individual under this section shall 

14 not exceed, for each year of service under sub15 section (c)(2)(B)(i)— 

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

17 (ii) if the total loans of the eligible in18 dividual are less than $140,000, an 

19 amount that does not exceed an amount 

20 that is two-thirds of the eligible loan bal21 ance. 

22 (3) PAYMENT SCHEDULE.—The Secretary may 

23 enter into an agreement with the holder of any loan 

24 for which payments are made to establish a schedule 

25 for making payments under this subsection. 


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1 (4) EXEMPTION FROM FEDERAL INCOME

2 TAX.—No amount awarded under this subsection 

3 shall be includible in income for purposes of chapter 

4 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 

5 (f) BREACH OF AGREEMENT.— 

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

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

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

9 liable to the Federal government for an amount, as 

10 determined by the Secretary, not to exceed the total 

11 amount of any payments made by the Secretary on 

12 behalf of the eligible individual under this section, 

13 and for interest on such amount at the maximum 

14 legal prevailing rate, as determined by the Treasurer 

15 of the United States, if the eligible individual fails 

16 to meet a term of the agreement in subsection 

17 (c)(2)(B). 

18 (2) DEATH.—Any obligation of an eligible indi19 vidual under the Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary 

20 Workforce Loan Repayment Program for service or 

21 payment of damages shall be cancelled upon the 

22 death of the eligible individual. 

23 (3) WAIVER OR SUSPENSION OF LIABILITY.— 

24 The Secretary shall provide for the partial or total 


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1 waiver or suspension of liability under paragraph 

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

3 (A) compliance by the eligible individual 

4 with the agreement is impossible or would cause 

5 extreme hardship to the eligible individual; or 

6 (B) enforcement of the agreement with re7 spect to the eligible individual would be uncon8 scionable. 

9 (4) DATE CERTAIN FOR RECOVERY.—Any 

10 amount that the Federal government is entitled to 

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

12 United States not later than 3 years after the date 

13 on which the United States becomes so entitled. 

14 (5) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts recovered under 

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

16 making payments under this section and shall re17 main available for such purpose until expended. 

18 (6) REGULATIONS.—Prior to implementation of 

19 the Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary Workforce 

20 Loan Repayment Program, the Secretary shall es21 tablish, by regulation, procedures for determining 

22 the amount of the repayment required under para23 graph (1). 


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1 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

2 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

3 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014. 

4 SEC. 103. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR VETERINARY STU5 DENTS SPECIALIZING IN WILDLIFE AND ZOO6 LOGICAL POPULATIONS. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—To expand the workforce of wild8 life and zoological veterinarians, the Secretary shall estab9 lish and carry out a program, to be known as the ‘‘Wildlife 

10 and Zoological Veterinary Workforce Scholarship Pro11 gram’’, under which the Secretary shall enter into agree12 ments with eligible students to award such eligible stu13 dents scholarships for serving as wildlife or zoological vet14 erinarians at wildlife or veterinary institutions upon grad15 uation from an accredited school or college of veterinary 

16 medicine. 

17 (b) ELIGIBLE STUDENT.—For purposes of this sec18 tion, an individual shall be treated as an eligible student 

19 if the individual— 

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

21 lawful permanent resident; 

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

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

24 college of veterinary medicine; 


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

2 school or college of veterinary medicine in paragraph 

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

4 or offers courses in wildlife and zoological veterinary 

5 medicine, or any other course of study or program 

6 that has been approved by the Secretary for the pur7 poses of this section; and 

8 (4) has submitted to the Secretary an applica9 tion, and a written contract under subsection (d), at 

10 such time and in such form and manner as is speci11 fied by the Secretary. 

12 (c) AWARD.— 

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

14 awarded to an eligible student under the Wildlife 

15 and Zoological Veterinary Workforce Program until 

16 the Secretary has accepted the application and writ17 ten contract submitted by the eligible student under 

18 subsection (b)(4). 

19 (2) NOTICE.—The Secretary shall provide 

20 prompt written notice to an individual upon the ac21 ceptance by the Secretary, under paragraph (1), of 

22 a written contract. 

23 (d) WRITTEN CONTRACT.—A written contract be24 tween the Secretary and an eligible student under this 

25 subsection shall contain— 


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1 (1) an agreement by the Secretary to provide 

2 the eligible student with a scholarship for each year 

3 of the course of study or program described in sub4 section (b)(3), for a period of no more than 4 years; 

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

6 (A) accept the scholarship; 

7 (B) maintain enrollment in the approved 

8 course of study or program described in sub9 section (b)(3) until the individual completes the 

10 course of study or program; 

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

12 of study or program described in subsection 

13 (b)(3), such level of academic standing as is de14 termined by the accredited school or college of 

15 veterinary medicine, under regulations pre16 scribed by the Secretary, to be acceptable; 

17 (D) commence service at a wildlife or vet18 erinary institution no later than 4 years after 

19 the date the eligible student graduates from the 

20 accredited school or college of veterinary medi21 cine; and 

22 (E) serve at the wildlife or veterinary insti23 tution in subparagraph (D) for a period of no 

24 fewer than 4 consecutive years as— 


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1 (i) a full-time wildlife or zoological 

2 veterinarian; or 

3 (ii) with the approval of the Secretary, 

4 a part-time wildlife or zoological veteri5 narian, if no full-time positions are avail6 able; 

7 (3) a provision that any financial obligation of 

8 the United States arising out of a contract entered 

9 into under this section and any obligation of the in10 dividual which is conditioned thereon, is contingent 

11 upon funds being appropriated for scholarships 

12 under this section; 

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

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

15 for a breach of contract; and 

16 (5) such other statements of the rights and li17 abilities of the Secretary and of the individual as are 

18 not inconsistent with the provisions of this title. 

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

20 eligible student: 

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

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

23 scholarship, the Secretary shall consider factors in24 cluding— 


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1 (A) the degree that the eligible student is 

2 pursuing or plans to pursue; 

3 (B) educational costs; 

4 (C) the financial need of the eligible stu5 dent; 

6 (D) the extent to which such determination 

7 affects the ability of the Secretary to maximize 

8 the number of scholarships that can be provided 

9 under this section from the amounts appro10 priated for such scholarships; and 

11 (E) the extent to which such determination 

12 provides an incentive to serve as a wildlife or 

13 zoological veterinarian. 

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

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

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

17 scholarship under this section shall be used to cover such 

18 expenses, with respect to an eligible student, as are deter19 mined by the Secretary to be appropriate, including— 

20 (1) tuition expenses; 

21 (2) reasonable living expenses; and 

22 (3) all other reasonable educational expenses in23 curred by the eligible student, including fees, labora24 tory expenses, and expenses for books and equip25 ment. 


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1 (g) PAYMENTS TO EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION.— 

2 Under the Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary Workforce 

3 Scholarship Program, the Secretary may contract with the 

4 accredited school or college of veterinary medicine in which 

5 an eligible student is enrolled or has been accepted for 

6 enrollment to make payments for tuition, reasonable living 

7 expenses, and other reasonable educational expenses under 

8 subsection (f). 

9 (h) EXEMPTION FROM FEDERAL INCOME TAX.—No 

10 amount awarded under subsection (e) or payment made 

11 under subsection (g) shall be includible in income for pur12 poses of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 

13 (i) BREACH OF CONTRACT.— 

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

15 (3), an eligible student who has entered into a writ16 ten contract with the Secretary under this section 

17 shall be liable to the United States for the following 

18 amounts: 

19 (A) FAILURE TO COMPLETE COURSE OF

20 STUDY OR PROGRAM.—The eligible student 

21 shall be liable for the total amount that has 

22 been paid to the eligible student under this sec23 tion, and for interest on such amount at the 

24 maximum legal prevailing rate, as determined 

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


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1 the course of study or program under sub2 section (b)(2), the eligible student— 

3 (i) fails to maintain an acceptable 

4 level of academic standing under sub5 section (d)(2)(C); 

6 (ii) is dismissed from the accredited 

7 school or college of veterinary medicine for 

8 disciplinary reasons; or 

9 (iii) voluntarily ceases to participate 

10 in the course of study or program before 

11 completion of the course of study or pro12 gram. 

13 (B) FAILURE TO COMPLETE SERVICE OB14 LIGATION.—The eligible student shall be liable 

15 for an amount, as determined by the Secretary, 

16 not to exceed the total amount that has been 

17 awarded to the eligible student under this sec18 tion, and for interest on such amount at the 

19 maximum legal prevailing rate, as determined 

20 by the Treasurer of the United States, if the el21 igible student fails to begin or complete the 

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

23 (2) DEATH.—Any obligation of an eligible stu24 dent under the Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary 

25 Workforce Scholarship Program for service or payVerDate Nov 24 2008 22:41 Jan 22, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4497.IH H4497

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1 ment of damages shall be cancelled upon the death 

2 of the eligible student. 

3 (3) WAIVER OR SUSPENSION OF LIABILITY.— 

4 The Secretary shall provide for the partial or total 

5 waiver or suspension of liability under paragraph 

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

7 (A) compliance by the eligible student with 

8 the written contract is impossible or would 

9 cause extreme hardship to the eligible student; 

10 or 

11 (B) enforcement of the written contract 

12 with respect to the eligible student would be un13 conscionable. 

14 (4) DATE CERTAIN FOR RECOVERY.—Any 

15 amount that the Federal government is entitled to 

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

17 United States not later than 3 years after the date 

18 the United States becomes so entitled. 

19 (5) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts recovered under 

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

21 making loan repayments under this section and shall 

22 remain available for such purpose until expended. 

23 (6) REGULATIONS.—Prior to implementation of 

24 the Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary Workforce 

25 Scholarship Program, the Secretary shall establish, 


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1 by regulation, procedures for determining the 

2 amount of the repayment required under paragraph 

3 (1). 

4 (j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

5 authorized to be appropriated $3,000,000 for each of fis6 cal years 2010 through 2014 to carry out this section. 

7 TITLE II—WILDLIFE AND ZOO8 LOGICAL VETERINARY MEDI9 CINE EDUCATIONAL DEVEL10 OPMENT 

11 SEC. 201. GRANTS TO ACCREDITED SCHOOLS AND COL12 LEGES OF VETERINARY MEDICINE FOR CUR13 RICULA IN WILDLIFE AND ZOOLOGICAL VET14 ERINARY MEDICINE. 

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

16 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall es17 tablish a pilot program to award grants to accredited 

18 schools and colleges of veterinary medicine to develop new 

19 or existing curricula that specialize in wildlife or zoological 

20 veterinary medicine, to be available to veterinary students 

21 in the final years of a program for which the accredited 

22 schools or colleges of veterinary medicine award a doctoral 

23 degree in veterinary medicine. 


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

2 this section, an accredited school or college of veterinary 

3 medicine shall submit to the Secretary a proposal— 

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

5 as the Secretary may require; and 

6 (2) containing such information as the Sec7 retary may require, including a description of— 

8 (A) the proposed curriculum in wildlife or 

9 zoological veterinary medicine under subsection 

10 (a); and 

11 (B) how the accredited school or college of 

12 veterinary medicine will use funds provided 

13 under the grant. 

14 (c) AWARD.—The Secretary shall establish proce15 dures to ensure that proposals are rigorously reviewed and 

16 that grants are competitively awarded. 

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

18 amount of a grant awarded to an accredited school or col19 lege of veterinary medicine under this section, taking into 

20 account such factors as the Secretary considers appro21 priate, including— 

22 (1) the contents of the proposal submitted by 

23 the eligible accredited school or college of veterinary 

24 medicine under subsection (b); and 


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1 (2) the number of grants available to all accred2 ited schools or colleges of veterinary medicine. 

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

4 under a grant under this section shall be used to pay ex5 penses related to the curriculum described in subsection 

6 (b)(2)(A) that are determined by the Secretary to be ap7 propriate, including the expense of— 

8 (1) developing the curriculum; 

9 (2) paying for the costs associated with the de10 velopment of the curriculum, including faculty sala11 ries and the costs of acquisition of material and 

12 equipment; and 

13 (3) providing the curriculum. 

14 (f) REPORTS.— 

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

16 year, each school that has received a grant under 

17 this section for such year shall submit to the Sec18 retary a report, in such form and manner and con19 taining such information as the Secretary may re20 quire, on the effectiveness of the curriculum devel21 oped by the school. 

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

23 after completion of the pilot program established 

24 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall evaluate 

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1 ceived a grant under this section and submit to Con2 gress a report on the pilot program— 

3 (A) in such form and manner as Congress 

4 may require; and 

5 (B) containing such information as Con6 gress may require, including— 

7 (i) the names of the accredited schools 

8 and colleges of veterinary medicine that re9 ceived a grant under this section; 

10 (ii) the number of students enrolled in 

11 each curriculum developed with grant 

12 funds; 

13 (iii) a description of each curriculum 

14 developed with grant funds; 

15 (iv) an assessment of the effectiveness 

16 of the pilot program; and 

17 (v) the recommendations of the Sec18 retary regarding the extension or expan19 sion of the pilot program. 

20 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

21 authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for fiscal year 

22 2010, and such sums as may be necessary for each subse23 quent fiscal year, for grants under this section. Amounts 

24 appropriated under this subsection are authorized to re25 main available until expended. 


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1 SEC. 202. GRANTS TO DEVELOP TRAINING PROGRAMS IN 

2 WILDLIFE AND ZOOLOGICAL VETERINARY 

3 MEDICINE. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award com5 petitive grants to eligible wildlife or veterinary institutions 

6 to establish or expand, for traineeship candidates, training 

7 programs in veterinary medicine for wildlife or zoological 

8 populations referred to in subsection (e). 

9 (b) ELIGIBLE WILDLIFE OR VETERINARY INSTITU10 TION.—To be eligible for a grant under this section, a 

11 wildlife or veterinary institution shall submit to the Sec12 retary a proposal designed to create or expand one or more 

13 training programs for traineeship candidates. The pro14 posal— 

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

16 form and manner as the Secretary may require; and 

17 (2) shall contain such information as the Sec18 retary may require, including a description of— 

19 (A) each training program to be created or 

20 expanded; 

21 (B) the skills to be imparted by each train22 ing program; 

23 (C) how the wildlife or veterinary institu24 tion will use the funds provided under a grant; 

25 and 


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1 (D) how each training program will help a 

2 trainee advance conservation and management 

3 goals for wildlife or zoological animal popu4 lations. 

5 (c) CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSALS.— 

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

7 this section, the Secretary shall give preference to an 

8 eligible wildlife or veterinary institution offering a 

9 training program— 

10 (A) at rotating sites, particularly in the 

11 case of a residency program under subsection 

12 (e)(5); and 

13 (B) under which trainees conduct research 

14 and teach veterinary students. 

15 (2) PROCEDURES.—The Secretary shall estab16 lish procedures to ensure that proposals are rigor17 ously reviewed and that grants are competitively 

18 awarded. 

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

20 section, an individual shall be treated as a traineeship can21 didate if the individual— 

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

23 or a lawful permanent resident; 


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1 (2) expresses a profound interest in wildlife or 

2 zoological veterinary medicine and a commitment to 

3 becoming a wildlife or zoological veterinarian; and 

4 (3) has submitted to a wildlife or veterinary in5 stitution offering a training program under sub6 section (a) an application for the training program 

7 containing such information as may be required by 

8 the wildlife or veterinary institution. 

9 (e) TYPES OF TRAINING PROGRAM.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—A training program referred 

11 to in this subsection is— 

12 (A) an externship program under para13 graph (2); 

14 (B) an internship program under para15 graph (3); 

16 (C) a fellowship program under paragraph 

17 (4); or 

18 (D) a residency program under paragraph 

19 (5). 

20 (2) EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—Under an externship 

22 program, a trainee shall be exposed to all facets 

23 of veterinary medicine applied to wildlife or zoo24 logical populations. 


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1 (B) ELIGIBILITY.—Externships shall be 

2 awarded to traineeship candidates who are— 

3 (i) enrolled in a program at an ac4 credited school or college of veterinary 

5 medicine leading to a doctoral degree in 

6 veterinary medicine; and 

7 (ii) in their final 2 years of study. 

8 (C) DURATION.—An externship shall be 

9 for a period of no fewer than three weeks and 

10 no more than 16 weeks. 

11 (3) INTERNSHIP PROGRAM.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—Under an internship 

13 program, a trainee shall be provided with broad, 

14 well-balanced exposure to wildlife or zoological 

15 veterinary medicine. 

16 (B) ELIGIBILITY.—Internships shall be 

17 awarded to traineeship candidates who hold a 

18 doctoral degree in veterinary medicine. 

19 (C) DURATION.—An internship shall be for 

20 a period of 1 year. 

21 (4) FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—Under a fellowship pro23 gram, a trainee shall be provided with training 

24 in one specific area of wildlife or zoological vet25 erinary medicine. 


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1 (B) ELIGIBILITY.—Fellowships shall be 

2 awarded to traineeship candidates who hold a 

3 doctoral degree in veterinary medicine. 

4 (C) DURATION.—A fellowship program 

5 shall be for a period of 1 through 3 years. 

6 (5) RESIDENCY PROGRAM.— 

7 (A) IN GENERAL.—Under a residency pro8 gram, a trainee shall be provided with training 

9 to develop specialized clinical competency with 

10 wildlife and zoological populations. Such pro11 gram may assist residents in becoming wildlife 

12 or zoological veterinarians certified by the 

13 American College of Zoological Medicine 

14 (‘‘ACZM’’) or American College of Veterinary 

15 Pathologists (‘‘ACVP’’). 

16 (B) ELIGIBILITY.—Residency programs 

17 shall be awarded to traineeship candidates who 

18 hold a doctoral degree in veterinary medicine. 

19 (C) DURATION.—A residency program 

20 shall be for a period of no fewer than 2 years. 

21 (f) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE UNDER TRAINING PRO22 GRAM.—Under a training program, a trainee shall, for the 

23 duration of the training program, be provided with— 


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

2 to be determined by the wildlife or veterinary insti3 tution, including— 

4 (A) the type and length of the training 

5 program; 

6 (B) the responsibilities assigned to the 

7 trainee as part of the training program; 

8 (C) the academic level or degree held by 

9 the trainee; and 

10 (D) the relevant experience of the trainee; 

11 and 

12 (2) such other financial assistance as the wild13 life or veterinary institution determines necessary 

14 and is approved by the Secretary. 

15 (g) APPROVAL OF PLACEMENT UNDER TRAINING

16 PROGRAM.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—No traineeship candidate 

18 shall be placed in a training program without the 

19 approval of the Secretary. 

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

21 informed of placement in a training program upon 

22 approval by the Secretary. 

23 (h) AMOUNT OF GRANT.—The Secretary shall deter24 mine the amount of a grant awarded under this section 


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1 for a training program, taking into account such factors 

2 as the Secretary considers appropriate, including— 

3 (1) the type of training that the wildlife or vet4 erinary institution desires to create or expand; 

5 (2) the contents of the proposal submitted by 

6 the wildlife or veterinary institution under subsection 

7 (b); and 

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

9 or veterinary institutions. 

10 (i) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.—Under this section, 

11 amounts received under a grant shall be applied to such 

12 costs as the Secretary considers appropriate for the plan13 ning, development, and operation of the training program, 

14 including the costs associated with— 

15 (1) the development of the curriculum to be 

16 used in the program; 

17 (2) practicum experiences; 

18 (3) the acquisition of new equipment; and 

19 (4) the stipend and other financial assistance 

20 provided to the trainee under subsection (f). 

21 (j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

22 authorized to be appropriated for grants under this section 

23 $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 and such sums as may 

24 be necessary for each subsequent fiscal year. Amounts apVerDate Nov 24 2008 22:41 Jan 22, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00039 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4497.IH H4497

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1 propriated pursuant to the authorization under this sub2 section shall remain available until expended. 

Æ 


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