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S 620 119th Congress Senate Native Americans Animal and plant health Arctic and polar regions Congressional oversight Health promotion and preventive care Immunology and vaccination Indian social and development programs Infectious and parasitic diseases Veterinary medicine and animal diseases

Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act

Introduced: February 18, 2025 Introduced by: Murkowski, Lisa Republican · Alaska See on congress.gov
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 Everywhere this bill has been 10 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Dec 15, 2025
Held at the desk.
Dec 15, 2025
Received in the House.
Dec 15, 2025
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Dec 11, 2025
Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S8687; text: CR S8687)
Dec 11, 2025
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
Sep 29, 2025
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 174.
Sep 29, 2025
Committee on Indian Affairs. Reported by Senator Murkowski without amendment. With written report No. 119-69.
Mar 5, 2025
Committee on Indian Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
Feb 18, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
Feb 18, 2025
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act

This bill expands support for public health veterinary services (e.g., disease surveillance or vaccination) in tribal communities to address zoonotic infectious diseases (i.e., diseases that spread between humans and animals).

Specifically, the bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Indian Health Service (IHS), to expend funds for public health veterinary services to prevent and control zoonotic disease infection and transmission in IHS areas where the risk for disease occurrence in humans and wildlife is endemic.

HHS may assign or deploy veterinary public health officers from the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps to IHS areas.

Additionally, HHS must submit a biennial report to Congress on the use of funds, the assignment and deployment of veterinary public health officers from the USPHS Commissioned Corps, data related to the monitoring and disease surveillance of zoonotic diseases, and related services.

The bill also includes the IHS as a coordinating agency in the National One Health Framework. (This framework addresses zoonotic diseases and advances public health preparedness in the United States.)

The bill requires the Department of Agriculture to conduct a feasibility study on the delivery of oral rabies vaccines to wildlife reservoir species that are connected to the transmission of rabies to tribal members living in Arctic regions of the United States. The study must (1) evaluate the efficacy of the oral rabies vaccines, and (2) make recommendations to improve the delivery of these vaccines.

What's happening now December 15, 2025

Held at the desk.

 Hearings & markups 1
 Related & companion bills 1
  • HR 8473 Identical bill Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act
 Bill text 3 versions

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Lobbying activity 8

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

See all 8 filings →
 Cosponsors 3
All 3 Democratic 3
D
Heinrich, Martin
New Mexico · Feb 18, 2025
 D
Peters, Gary C.
Michigan · Feb 18, 2025
 D
Schatz, Brian
Hawaii · Feb 18, 2025
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 620: Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-620/
MLA
"S. 620: Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-620/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 620, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-620/.
Markdown link
[S. 620: Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-620/)
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