S. 620

119th CONGRESS 1st Session

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 · Sponsor: Ms. Murkowski · Committee: Committee on Indian Affairs

Table of contents

• S. 620
  • SEC. 1. Short title
  • SEC. 2. Sense of Congress
  • SEC. 3. Public health veterinary services
  • SEC. 4. APHIS wildlife services study on oral rabies vaccines in Arctic regions of the United States
  • SEC. 5. One Health framework

SEC. 1. Short title

• This Act may be cited as the Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act.
• Short title

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.
• Sense of Congress

SEC. 3. Public health veterinary services

• Title II of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act is amended by inserting after section 223 () the following: 25 U.S.C. 1621v
• Public health veterinary services
  • (a) Definitions
    • In this section:
    • Definitions
    • (1) Public health veterinary services
      • The term includes any of the following: public health veterinary services
      • Public health veterinary services
        • Spaying and neutering services for domestic animals.
        • Diagnoses.
        • Surveillance.
        • Epidemiology.
        • Control.
        • Prevention.
        • Elimination.
        • Vaccination.
        • 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.
      • Zoonotic disease
  • (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 (), 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. 25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.
    • Authorization for veterinary services
  • (c) Public health officers; coordination
    • In providing public health veterinary services under subsection (b), the Secretary may—
    • Public health officers; coordination
      • assign or deploy veterinary public health officers from the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service to Service areas; and
      • coordinate and implement activities with—
        • the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and
        • 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.
    • Report

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—
• APHIS wildlife services study on oral rabies vaccines in Arctic regions of the United States
  • 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
  • that—
    • evaluates the efficacy of the vaccines described in paragraph (1); and
    • 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 () is amended by striking and the Secretary of the Interiorand inserting , the Secretary of the Interior, and the Director of the Indian Health Service. 42 U.S.C. 300hh–37(b)
• One Health framework