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119-s-620119th CongressWALLET

Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act

Sponsored By: Senator Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK]

Passed Senate

Summary

Prevents rabies and other zoonotic diseases in Tribal communities. This creates a new public health veterinary services program in the Indian Health Care Improvement Act and lets the Indian Health Service fund and deliver veterinary services, surveillance, vaccination, spay/neuter, and related activities to Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations.

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  • Tribal members and families gain local veterinary public health services aimed at preventing rabies and other zoonotic infections in Service areas where the risk is endemic.
  • Domestic animals and food safety efforts get direct support through spay and neuter services, vaccination, diagnosis, surveillance, and measures to reduce antimicrobial resistance.
  • Public health capacity increases because the Secretary may assign or deploy veterinary public health officers from the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service and must coordinate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Secretary of Agriculture.
  • Federal oversight and planning are required. The Director of the Indian Health Service is added to One Health leadership and IHS must send a biennial report to specified congressional committees on funding, deployments, surveillance data, and services.
  • The Department of Agriculture must complete an Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service wildlife services feasibility study within one year on delivering oral rabies vaccines to Arctic wildlife linked to rabies risk for Tribal members, including vaccine efficacy and delivery recommendations.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Public veterinary care for Tribal communities

This bill would set up a public health veterinary services program at the Indian Health Service. Tribal communities in IHS service areas with ongoing disease risk would get help like spay and neuter, vaccinations, and disease tracking. IHS would be able to fund services directly or through Tribal contracts. Public Health Service veterinary officers would be deployed as needed and work would be coordinated with CDC and the Agriculture Department. IHS would report to Congress every two years on spending, deployments, surveillance data, and services.

Arctic Tribal rabies vaccine study

The Agriculture Department would study, within one year, how to deliver oral rabies vaccines to Arctic wildlife that spread rabies to Tribal members. The study would review how well the vaccines work and recommend ways to improve delivery. This would be a study only, not vaccine distribution.

Indian Health Service joins disease planning team

If enacted, the Director of the Indian Health Service would join the federal One Health leadership team. This would improve planning across agencies for diseases that spread between animals and people. It would not create new funding or direct benefits.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK]

AK • R

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]

    NM • D

    Sponsored 2/18/2025

  • Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI]

    MI • D

    Sponsored 2/18/2025

  • Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI]

    HI • D

    Sponsored 2/18/2025

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
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