Larson, Smith, Panetta, Fischbach Introduce Bill to Alleviate Veterinary Workforce Shortages

Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) reintroduced the Rural Veterinary Workforce Act with Reps. Adrian Smith (NE-03), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), and Michelle Fischbach (MN-07), legislation to help address the shortages in essential veterinary services facing rural communities.  

“Veterinarians are essential not just to the health of our beloved pets, but the well-being of livestock and the safety of our food supply in Connecticut and across the country,” said Larson. “By expanding access to veterinarian student loan reimbursement, our bipartisan legislation will help alleviate care disparities for livestock in our rural communities and make it more affordable for students to pursue a veterinary career path.”   

“Veterinarians are vital to the work of Americas farmers and ranchers and the integrity of our food supply chain. Yet many areas of the country suffer from lack of access to their services," said Smith. "This bipartisan bill would make commonsense tax relief available to veterinarians who choose to live and work in the communities which need their help to care for their livestock and protect the agriculture industry from pests and disease. I thank my colleagues for joining me to reintroduce it." 

“Rural communities across the country continue to face shortages of veterinarians, putting strain on farmers, ranchers, and our food supply,” said Panetta. “The Rural Veterinary Workforce Act would fix an outdated tax policy that limits the impact of the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program by making those loan repayments tax-exempt.  By strengthening this program, we can ensure rural areas throughout the country have access to the veterinary care they need.” 

“The Rural Veterinary Workforce Act will eliminate unnecessary taxes to ensure quality treatment for veterinarians in rural communities like those in Minnesota’s Seventh District so they can continue their important work caring for America’s livestock and maintaining our supply chains,” said Fischbach. “I am proud to introduce this legislation with my Ways and Means colleagues to maximize the impact of the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program for rural America.”  

“Recruiting and retaining veterinarians through the Rural Veterinary Workforce Act is key to protecting our nation’s food supply, preserving animal welfare, and upholding public health,” said Dr. Sandra Faeh, American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) President. “Livestock and public health veterinarians are essential to strengthening the nation’s animal health infrastructure and agricultural economy. We urge Congress to address this increasingly important issue by passing the Rural Veterinary Workforce Act.”   

The Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) provides student loan reimbursement to veterinarians who chose to practice for three years in federally designated shortage areas. A similar program, the National Health Service Corps, provides loan repayments to medical doctors and other human health practitioners.  

Despite the similarity of these programs, National Health Service Corps loan repayments are exempt from federal withholding tax, while VMLRP payments are not. To address this inconsistency, The Rural Veterinary Workforce Act would codify a similar exemption for VMLRP.  

Additional cosponsors of the bill include: Reps. Randy Feenstra (IA-04), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), David Rouzer (NC-07), Mike Carey (OH-15), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), Don Davis (NC-01), Trent Kelly (MS-01), Brad Finstad (MN-01), and Betty McCollum (MN-04). 

Full text of the bill is available HERE.