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This bill would help Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations prevent rabies and other diseases that can spread between animals and people. It lets the Indian Health Service support veterinary public health work in tribal communities, especially in places where these diseases are a serious risk. The services can include animal vaccination, testing, disease tracking, prevention, and other related actions that protect people, animals, and the environment. The bill also calls for more teamwork between federal health and agriculture agencies, a study on using oral rabies vaccine in Arctic wildlife, and regular reports to Congress on how the program is working.
- It gives the Indian Health Service authority to fund public health veterinary services for Tribes, either directly or through tribal self-governance programs.
- Covered services include spaying and neutering, diagnosis, disease surveillance, epidemiology, control, prevention, elimination, vaccination, and other actions that reduce the spread of zoonotic disease or antimicrobial resistance.
- The bill allows the government to send Public Health Service veterinary officers to tribal areas and to work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Agriculture.
- The Secretary of Agriculture must study, within one year, whether oral rabies vaccines can be effectively delivered to wildlife in Arctic regions that may spread rabies to Tribal members, and must recommend ways to improve delivery.
- The bill also adds the Director of the Indian Health Service to a federal “One Health” planning framework that links human health, animal health, and environmental health.
Official Summaries
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.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 620 Engrossed in Senate (ES)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 620
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
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''.
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.
``(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
zoonotic disease infection and transmission in Service areas where the
risk for disease occurrence in humans and wildlife is endemic.
``(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.
``(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''.
Passed the Senate December 11, 2025.
Attest:
Secretary.
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 620
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To provide public health veterinary services to Indian Tribes and
Tribal organizations for rabies prevention, and for other purposes.