S620-119

What This Bill Does:
This bill is about improving public health in rural communities by providing veterinary services to prevent and control diseases that can spread between animals and humans. It focuses on Indian Tribes and their organizations, aiming to reduce the risk of these diseases, often called "zoonotic" diseases.

Who Benefits and How:
- Indian Tribes and Tribal Organizations: They receive funding for public health veterinary services like spaying/neutering, diagnoses, vaccinations, and disease surveillance. This helps them protect their communities from zoonotic diseases.
- Veterinary Public Health Officers: They get assigned or deployed to these areas to provide these services directly.

Who Bears the Burden and How:
- Taxpayers: While this bill benefits Indian Tribes, it also means taxpayer money will be used for these veterinary services. The exact cost isn't specified in the provided text.
- Government Agencies: They have new requirements to coordinate activities, submit biennial reports, and conduct feasibility studies on using dogs for rabies elimination.

Key Provisions:
- The bill allocates funds for public health veterinary services in areas with high risk of zoonotic diseases.
- It allows assigning or deploying veterinary public health officers from the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service to these areas.
- It requires coordination between the Indian Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Agriculture.
- The Secretary must submit biennial reports on fund usage, officer deployment, disease surveillance data, and services provided under this section.
- It also includes provisions for feasibility studies on using dogs for rabies elimination.