I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1367
To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a loan repayment pro-
gram regarding the provision of veterinary services in shortage situations, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 19, 2003
Mr. PICKERING (for himself and Mr. TURNER of Texas) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a loan 
repayment program regarding the provision of veterinary 
services in shortage situations, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Veterinary 
Medical Services Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM 
REGARDING VETERINARY MEDICINE. 
The National Agricultural Research, Extension, and 
Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.) is
amended by inserting after section 1415 the following new 
section: 
‘‘SEC. 1415A. VETERINARY MEDICINE LOAN REPAYMENT. 
‘‘(a) PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall carry out a pro-
gram of entering into agreements with veterinarians under 
which the veterinarians agree to provide, for a period of 
time as determined by the Secretary and specified in the 
agreement, veterinary services in veterinarian shortage sit-
uations. For each year of such service under an agreement 
under this subsection, the Secretary shall pay an amount, 
as determined by the Secretary and specified in the agree-
ment, of the principal and interest of qualifying edu-
cational loans of the veterinarians. 
‘‘(b) VETERINARIAN SHORTAGE SITUATIONS.—In de-
termining ‘veterinarian shortage situations’ the Secretary 
may consider the following: 
‘‘(1) Urban or rural areas that the Secretary 
determines have a shortage of veterinarians. 
‘‘(2) Population groups that the Secretary de-
termines have a shortage of veterinarians. 
‘‘(3) Areas of veterinary practice that the Sec-
retary determines have a shortage of veterinarians. 
‘‘(4) Other factors that the Secretary considers 
to be relevant. 
‘‘(c) ADMINISTRATION.—
‘‘(1) CONTRACT
AUTHORITY.—The Secretary 
may carry out this program directly or enter into 
agreements with another Federal agency or other 
service provider to assist in the administration of 
this program. 
‘‘(2) BREACH REMEDIES.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Agreements with pro-
gram participants shall provide remedies for 
any breach of an agreement by a participant, 
including repayment of financial assistance re-
ceived in proportion to the time served in the 
veterinary shortage situation. 
‘‘(B) WAIVER.—The Secretary may estab-
lish a waiver process of this repayment obliga-
tion in the event of extreme hardship, as deter-
mined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(C) AMOUNTS
RECOVERED.—Funds re-
covered under this subsection shall be credited 
to the account available to carry out this sec-
tion and shall remain available until expended. 
‘‘(3) QUALIFYING EDUCATIONAL LOANS.—Loan 
repayments provided under this section may consist 
of payments on behalf of participating individuals of 
the principal, interest, and related expenses on gov-
ernment and commercial loans received by the indi-