AVMA-endorsed xylazine legislation reintroduced in CongressFebruary 20, 2025The AVMA reintroduced the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act in both the House and Senate. The legislation is reported to provide the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) with tools to help address the illicit drug by scheduling xylazine as a Schedule III drug, ensure common veterinary uses of the drug remain legal, help maintain the availability of the drug on the market for veterinarians, and allow the DEA to track the legitimate supply.
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A veterinarian's journey to Capitol HillAugust 15, 2023Many veterinary students know exactly what they want to do after graduation, and intently pursue that goal. For Jacob Merryman, DVM, MPH, the future was not quite as clear.
One Health central to Senate Veterinary Medicine CaucusAugust 11, 2023For the first time in its history, the U.S. Senate has established a Veterinary Medicine Caucus, aimed at educating lawmakers and their staffs about the challenges facing the profession and advancing legislation that benefits the veterinary community.
Reducing spread of deadly disease central to reignited dog import billMarch 8, 2023Minimizing the spread of diseases that could be dangerous to both human and animal health is the goal of the recently reignited Healthy Dog Importation Act.
Rural shortages, student debt target of reintroduced billApril 12, 2021A bill aimed at minimizing student debt and improving access to veterinary care in America’s rural areas has been reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Controlling zoonotic disease central to One Health billMarch 26, 2021Legislation aimed at implementing a nationwide, One Health approach to tackling zoonotic disease has been reintroduced in both chambers of Congress.
One Health central to Veterinary Medicine CaucusMarch 5, 2021For the fifth Congressional cycle, there will be a Veterinary Medicine Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Prepare stimulus loan applications ASAPApril 27, 2020Clinics and practices interested in applying for newly announced government assistance loans amid the COVID-19 crisis should get their ducks in a row, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) says.
AVMA welcomes passage of agriculture spending billJune 28, 2019AVMA is applauding the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of an agricultural spending bill, which increases annual funding for the veterinary medicine loan repayment program (VMLRP) to $9 million.
Veterinary loan repayment bill introduced in House of RepresentativesMay 16, 2019Rural veterinarians are one step closer to seeing the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) Enhancement Act become law. The act, a companion bill to S.1163, has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and would remove a withholding tax to maximize funding for the veterinary medicine loan repayment program. The VMLRP offers loan repayment assistance to relocate veterinarians to areas deemed by the U.S. department of agriculture to have shortages. In a statement, American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) president, John de Jong, DVM, said, "Too many rural communities today don't have access to adequate veterinary care, leaving livestock at risk for dangerous diseases, which could impact agricultural communities and threaten public health. Unfortunately, the reality is that food-animal veterinary careers typically pay less than small-animal careers, and high levels of student debt can make it financially difficult for veterinarians to follow these career paths. "The VMLRP is extremely effective in addressing this challenge because it provides veterinarians with loan repayment assistance so they don't have to choose between paying off their loans and pursuing food-animal or public health careers. These efforts are critical to our farming and ranching communities, and we're grateful to the members of Congress …
