I
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 5186
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish scholarship and loan
repayment programs regarding the provision of veterinary services in
veterinarian shortage areas.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SEPTEMBER 14, 2000
Mr. PICKERING (for himself and Mr. JOHN) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Commerce, 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 amend the Public Health Service Act to establish scholar-
ship and loan repayment programs regarding the provi-
sion of veterinary services in veterinarian shortage areas.
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 ‘‘Veterinary Health En-
hancement Act’’.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF SCHOLARSHIP AND LOAN RE-
PAYMENT PROGRAMS REGARDING VETERI-
NARY MEDICINE.
Subpart III of part D of title III of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l et seq.) is amended by adding
at the end the following section:
‘‘SEC. 338M. SCHOLARSHIP AND LOAN REPAYMENT PRO-
GRAMS REGARDING VETERINARY MEDICINE.
‘‘(a) SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.—The Secretary, act-
ing through the Administrator of the Health Resources
and Services Administration, shall establish a program of
entering into agreements with students under which the
Federal Government provides to the students scholarships
for attending schools of veterinary medicine in consider-
ation of the students agreeing to provide, for a period of
time specified in the agreement, veterinary services in vet-
erinarian shortage areas.
‘‘(b) LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.—The Secretary,
acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources
and Services Administration, shall carry out a program
of entering into agreements with veterinarians under
which the veterinarians agree to provide, for a period of
time specified in the agreement, veterinary services in vet-
erinarian shortage areas in consideration of the Federal
Government agreeing to repay, for each year of such serv-
ice, not more than $35,000 of the principal and interest
of the educational loans of the veterinarians.
‘‘(c) VETERINARIAN SHORTAGE AREAS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of this sec-
tion, the term ‘veterinarian shortage area’’ means
any of the following:
‘‘(A) An area in an urban or rural area
(which need not conform to the geographic
boundaries of a political subdivision and which
is a rational area for the delivery of veterinary
services) that the Secretary determines has a
shortage of veterinarians.
‘‘(B) A population group that the Sec-
retary determines has such a shortage.
‘‘(C) A public or nonprofit private medical
facility or other public facility that the Sec-
retary determines has such a shortage.
‘‘(2) STATE PARTICIPATION.—In designating a
veterinarian shortage area in a State, the Secretary
shall consult with the chief veterinary-medicine offi-
cial of the State and with other appropriate entities
in the State, including representatives of schools of
veterinary medicine in the State; representatives of
State members of professional associations regarding
veterinary medicine; and representatives of large-ani-
mal veterinarians in the State.
‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may approve
an individual for participation in the program under
subsection (a) or (b) only if (in addition to the re-
quirements that apply under subsection (e)) the indi-
vidual has been approved by the chief veterinary-
medicine official of the State involved, after such of-
ficial consulted with appropriate entities in the State
regarding such approval, including representatives
specified in subsection (c)(2).
‘‘(2) STATE INVOLVED.—For purposes of para-
graph (1), the State involved with respect to an indi-
vidual is the State described in subparagraph (A) or
(B) (as applicable), as follows:
‘‘(A) In the case of the program under
subsection (a), the State in which the individual
attends or will attend a school of veterinary
medicine with a scholarship under the program.
‘‘(B) In the case of the program under
subsection (b), the State that contains the vet-
erinarian shortage area for which the individual
will provide veterinary services under the pro-
gram.
‘‘(e) APPLICABILITY OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS.—
‘‘(1) SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.—With respect to
the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Pro-
gram established in section 338A, the provisions of
this subpart that apply to such program shall, ex-
cept as determined by the Secretary to be incon-
sistent with subsection (a), apply to the program es-
tablished in subsection (a) in the same manner and
to the same extent as such provisions apply to the
National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program.
‘‘(2) LOAN
REPAYMENT
PROGRAM.—With re-
spect to the National Health Service Corps Loan
Repayment Program established in section 338B,
the provisions of this subpart that apply to such pro-
gram shall, except as determined by the Secretary to
be inconsistent with subsection (b), apply to the pro-
gram established in subsection (b) in the same man-
ner and to the same extent as such provisions apply
to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repay-
ment Program.
‘‘(f) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the
term ‘school of veterinary medicine’ has the meaning given
such term in section 799B.
‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—