[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 620 Reported in Senate (RS)]
<DOC>
Calendar No. 174
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 620
[Report No. 119-69]
To provide public health veterinary services to Indian Tribes and
Tribal organizations for rabies prevention, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 18, 2025
Ms. Murkowski (for herself, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Peters, and Mr. Schatz)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Indian Affairs
September 29, 2025
Reported by Ms. Murkowski, without amendment
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide public health veterinary services to Indian Tribes and
Tribal organizations for rabies prevention, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Veterinary Services to Improve
Public Health in Rural Communities Act''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that the Indian Health Service of the
Department of Health and Human Services is uniquely suited to empower
Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations to address zoonotic disease
threats in the communities they serve by providing public health
veterinary services through a One Health approach that recognizes the
interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared
environment.
SEC. 3. PUBLIC HEALTH VETERINARY SERVICES.
Title II of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act is amended by
inserting after section 223 (25 U.S.C. 1621v) the following:
``SEC. 224. PUBLIC HEALTH VETERINARY SERVICES.
``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Public health veterinary services.--The term `public
health veterinary services' includes any of the following:
``(A) Spaying and neutering services for domestic
animals.
``(B) Diagnoses.
``(C) Surveillance.
``(D) Epidemiology.
``(E) Control.
``(F) Prevention.
``(G) Elimination.
``(H) Vaccination.
``(I) Any other related service or activity that
reduces the risk of zoonotic disease transmission or
antimicrobial resistance in humans, food, or animals.
``(2) Zoonotic disease.--The term `zoonotic disease' means
a disease or infection that may be transmitted naturally from
vertebrate animals to humans, or from humans to vertebrate
animals.
``(b) Authorization for Veterinary Services.--The Secretary, acting
through the Service, may expend funds, directly or pursuant to the
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301
et seq.), for public health veterinary services to prevent and control
zoonotic disease infection and transmission in Service areas where the
risk for disease occurrence in humans and wildlife is endemic.
``(c) Public Health Officers; Coordination.--In providing public
health veterinary services under subsection (b), the Secretary may--
``(1) assign or deploy veterinary public health officers
from the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service to
Service areas; and
``(2) coordinate and implement activities with--
``(A) the Director of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention; and
``(B) the Secretary of Agriculture.
``(d) Report.--The Secretary shall submit to the Committee on
Indian Affairs of the Senate, the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, the Committee on Natural Resources
of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Energy and
Commerce of the House of Representatives a biennial report on the use
of funds, the assignment and deployment of veterinary public health
officers from the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service, data
related to the monitoring and disease surveillance of zoonotic
diseases, and related services provided under this section.''.
SEC. 4. APHIS WILDLIFE SERVICES STUDY ON ORAL RABIES VACCINES IN ARCTIC
REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Secretary of Agriculture shall conduct a feasibility study--
(1) on the delivery of oral rabies vaccines to wildlife
reservoir species that are directly or indirectly connected to
the transmission of rabies to Tribal members living in Arctic
regions of the United States; and
(2) that--
(A) evaluates the efficacy of the vaccines
described in paragraph (1); and
(B) makes recommendations to improve the delivery
of those vaccines.
SEC. 5. ONE HEALTH FRAMEWORK.
Section 2235(b) of the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses,
Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh-37(b)) is
amended by striking ``and the Secretary of the Interior'' and inserting
``, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Director of the Indian
Health Service''.
Calendar No. 174
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 620
[Report No. 119-69]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide public health veterinary services to Indian Tribes and
Tribal organizations for rabies prevention, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
September 29, 2025
Reported without amendment