[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4365 Reported in Senate (RS)]
<DOC>
Calendar No. 563
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4365
[Report No. 118-248]
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
May 16, 2024
Ms. Murkowski (for herself, Mr. Schatz, and Mr. Heinrich) introduced
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee
on Indian Affairs
November 18, 2024
Reported by Mr. Schatz, with amendments
[Omit the parts struck through and insert the parts printed in italic]
_______________________________________________________________________
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''.
<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) human, animal, and environmental health are
interdependent in Native communities, Alaska Native villages,
and on Indian reservations, and holistic approaches to the
well-being of all individuals will lead to improved health
outcomes and enhanced resilience;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) uncontrolled animal populations and a lack of
veterinary care in Native communities, Alaska Native villages,
and on Indian reservations increase the risk of parasites and
zoonotic diseases, dog bites, food insecurity, and mental
health issues among Alaska Natives and American
Indians;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) dog bites and other injuries are common in
rural areas in the State of Alaska, with the Norton Sound
Health Corporation reporting an average of 87 bites per year in
the Bering Strait region between 2016 and 2023, and the Yukon-
Kuskokwim Health Corporation reporting an average of 98 bites
per year in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region between 2008 and
2017;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) Alaska Native children have the highest
incidence of hospitalization for dog bites in the Indian Health
Service system;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) in 2021, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska,
experienced co-occurring outbreaks of rabies and canine
distemper;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (6) canine distemper is almost 100 percent fatal
in marine mammals, which the people of the Native Villages of
Savoonga and Gambell rely on heavily as a food
source;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (7) rabies is enzootic in arctic and red fox
populations in the northern and western coastal regions of the
State of Alaska;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (8) wildlife outbreaks occur cyclically, and there
have been increased human exposures to rabid animals between
2020 and 2023;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (9) rabies transmission is a significant threat in
Alaska Native communities and villages; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (10) as of 2024, the Indian Health Service does
not employ or use public health veterinarians to combat
zoonotic disease outbreaks or to generally advance public
health preparedness for Native communities, Alaska Native
villages, or Indian reservations, including by providing spay
and neuter services and vaccinations for animals.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) 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.</DELETED>
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; and
``(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
of zoonotic disease infection and transmission in Service areas where
the risk for disease occurrence in humans and wildlife is endemic.
<DELETED> ``(c) Public Health Officers.--In providing public health
veterinary services under subsection (b), the Secretary shall deploy
veterinary public health officers from the Commissioned Corps of the
Public Health Service to Service areas.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(d) Coordination.--The Secretary, acting through the
Service, shall carry out this section in coordination with--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(1) the Director of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``(2) the Secretary of Agriculture.</DELETED>
``(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.
``(e)(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''.
Calendar No. 563
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4365
[Report No. 118-248]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide public health veterinary services to Indian Tribes and
Tribal organizations for rabies prevention, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
November 18, 2024
Reported with amendments