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Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act
To provide public health veterinary services to Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations for rabies prevention, and for other purposes.
Summary
- Authorizes the Indian Health Service to provide public health veterinary services including vaccination, spaying and neutering, surveillance, and prevention of zoonotic disease transmission to Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations in Service areas.
- Allows the Secretary to expend funds directly or through the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act for these veterinary public health services.
- Authorizes the assignment and deployment of veterinary public health officers from the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps to Service areas.
- Requires coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Secretary of Agriculture in providing veterinary services.
- Requires the Secretary to submit biennial reports to Congress on the use of funds, deployment of officers, zoonotic disease surveillance data, and services provided.
- Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a feasibility study within one year on delivering oral rabies vaccines to wildlife species in Arctic regions that transmit rabies to Tribal members, including recommendations to improve vaccine delivery.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Nicholas J. Begich’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- NULL $310,813
- TEAMHEALTH EMERGENCY PHYSICIANS $44,901
- PETRO 49, INC $18,931
- ODOM CORP $12,500
- CHARLES SCHWAB CORPORATION $9,183
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Nicholas J. Begich → · Outside spending →
Actions (4)
- Jun 9, 2026 Subcommittee Hearings Held · house
- Jun 3, 2026 Referred to the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs. · house
- Apr 23, 2026 Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and 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. · house
- Apr 23, 2026 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 23, 2026
Mr. Begich introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and 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 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”. <all>
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