The U.S. Senate recently approved the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act, legislation that has been a high priority for the Assn. of American Veterinary Medical Colleges for several years. The act, sponsored by Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO), authorizes a competitive grants program to increase capacity in the nation’s veterinary medical colleges and alleviate the shortage of veterinarians. “The Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act will allow us to increase our educational capacity for veterinary students, respond to the national need for veterinarians in public health sectors and provide services to our rural communities,” said Timothy Boosinger, DVM, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Auburn University and president of the AAVMC. The legislation now goes to the Education and Labor Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.
