I 
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5105 
To establish a Chief Veterinary Officer in the Department of Homeland 
Security, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 21, 2010 
Mr. ROGERS of Alabama (for himself, Ms. KILROY, Mr. KING of New York, 
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. MCCAUL, Ms. CLARKE, and Mr. CAR-
NEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, 
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 establish a Chief Veterinary Officer in the Department 
of Homeland Security, 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. CHIEF VETERINARY OFFICER OF DEPARTMENT 
OF HOMELAND SECURITY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Homeland Secu-
rity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 181 et seq.) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new section: 
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‘‘SEC. 317. CHIEF VETERINARY OFFICER. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is in the Department a 
Chief Veterinary Officer, who shall be appointed by the 
Secretary. The Chief Veterinary Officer shall report di-
rectly to the Chief Medical Officer, unless an individual 
other than the Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs is 
serving as the Chief Medical Officer, in which case the 
Chief Veterinary Officer shall report directly to the Assist-
ant Secretary for Health Affairs. 
‘‘(b) QUALIFICATIONS.—The individual appointed as 
Chief Veterinary Officer shall be a veterinarian who pos-
sesses a demonstrated ability in and knowledge of veteri-
nary public health and emergency preparedness, and other 
professional experience as determined by the Secretary, 
such as in agriculture, food defense, and disaster medi-
cine. 
‘‘(c) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Chief Veterinary Offi-
cer shall be the head of the division of the Department 
with primary responsibility for veterinary issues, food de-
fense, and agriculture security, and shall have primary re-
sponsibility within the Department for responsibilities re-
lating to veterinary medicine and veterinary public health, 
including each of the following: 
‘‘(1) Serving as the principal authority in the 
Department responsible for advising the Secretary, 
in coordination with the Assistant Secretary for 
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Health Affairs, on veterinary public health, food de-
fense, and agricultural security issues. 
‘‘(2) Providing guidance for the health and wel-
fare of the Department’s working animals, including 
those used to enhance transportation, border, and 
maritime security, and for other purposes. 
‘‘(3) Leading the Department’s policy initiatives 
relating to food, animal, and agricultural incidents, 
and the impact of such incidents on animal and pub-
lic health. 
‘‘(4) Leading the Department’s policy initiatives 
relating to overall domestic preparedness for and col-
lective response to agricultural terrorism. 
‘‘(5) Serving as the principal point of contact in 
the Office of Health Affairs for all veterinary pre-
paredness and response research and development. 
‘‘(6) Serving as the principal point of contact in 
the Office of Health Affairs for sharing homeland 
security veterinary medical information with Depart-
ment officials, including all components with veteri-
nary, food, or agricultural interests. 
‘‘(7) Serving as the principal point of contact 
within the Department with respect to veterinary 
homeland security issues for the Department of Ag-
riculture, the Department of Defense, the Depart-
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