Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act

Bill: 118-s-4365
Sponsor: Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK]
Introduced: 2024-05-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Native Americans
Subjects: Animal and plant health
Arctic and polar regions
Congressional oversight
Health promotion and preventive care
Immunology and vaccination
Indian social and development programs
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Veterinary medicine and animal diseases

Summary:
action_date: 2024-12-12
text: 

Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act

This bill expands support for public health veterinary services (e.g., disease surveillance or vaccination) in tribal communities to address zoonotic infectious diseases (i.e., diseases that spread between humans and animals).

Specifically, the bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Indian Health Service (IHS), to expend funds for public health veterinary services to prevent and control zoonotic disease infection and transmission in IHS areas where the risk for disease occurrence in humans and wildlife is endemic.

HHS may assign or deploy veterinary public health officers from the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps to IHS areas.

Additionally, HHS must submit a biennial report to Congress on the use of funds, the assignment and deployment of veterinary public health officers from the USPHS Commissioned Corps, data related to the monitoring and disease surveillance of zoonotic diseases, and related services.

The bill also includes the IHS as a coordinating agency in the National One Health Framework. (This framework addresses zoonotic diseases and advances public health preparedness in the United States.)

The bill requires the Department of Agriculture to conduct a feasibility study on the delivery of oral rabies vaccines to wildlife reservoir species that are connected to the transmission of rabies to tribal members living in Arctic regions of the United States. The study must (1) evaluate the efficacy of the oral rabies vaccines, and (2) make recommendations to improve the delivery of these vaccines.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2024-12-16
text: Held at the desk.
action_date: 2024-12-16
text: Received in the House.
action_date: 2024-12-13
text: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
action_date: 2024-12-12
text: Passed Senate with amendments by Voice Vote. (consideration: CR S6994-6996; text: CR S6995-6996)
action_date: 2024-12-12
text: Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with amendments by Voice Vote.
action_date: 2024-11-18
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 563.
action_date: 2024-11-18
text: Committee on Indian Affairs. Reported by Senator Schatz with amendments. With written report No. 118-248.
action_date: 2024-11-18
text: Committee on Indian Affairs. Reported by Senator Schatz with amendments. With written report No. 118-248.
action_date: 2024-07-25
text: Committee on Indian Affairs. Ordered to be reported with amendments favorably.
action_date: 2024-07-10
text: Committee on Indian Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 118-530.
action_date: 2024-05-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
action_date: 2024-05-16
text: Introduced in Senate