,,ii #aahth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dcfe ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #af1 #bjbd,ms4 ,murkowski introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,indian ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to provide public health veterinary services to ,indian ,tribes and ,tribal organizations for rabies prevention1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,veterinary ,services to ,improve ,public ,health in ,rural ,communities ,act4 #b4 ,findings2 ,sense of ,congress 7a7 ,findings ,congress finds that-- 7#a7 human1 animal1 and environmental health are interdependent in ,native communities1 ,alaska ,native villages1 and on ,indian reservations1 and holistic approaches to the well-being of all individuals will lead to improved health outcomes and enhanced resilience2 7#b7 uncontrolled animal populations and a lack of veterinary care in ,native communities1 ,alaska ,native villages1 and on ,indian reservations increase the risk of parasites and zoonotic diseases1 dog bites1 food insecurity1 and mental health issues among ,alaska ,natives and ,american ,indians2 7#c7 dog bites and other injuries are common in rural areas in the ,state of ,alaska1 with the ,norton ,sound ,health ,corporation reporting an average of #hg bites per year in the ,bering ,strait region between #bjaf and #bjbc1 and the ,yukon-,kuskokwim ,health ,corporation reporting an average of #ih bites per year in the ,yukon-,kuskokwim ,delta region between #bjjh and #bjag2 7#d7 ,alaska ,native children have the highest incidence of hospitalization for dog bites in the ,indian ,health ,service system2 7#e7 in #bjba1 ,st4 ,lawrence ,island1 ,alaska1 experienced co-occurring outbreaks of rabies and canine distemper2 7#f7 canine distemper is almost #ajj percent fatal in marine mammals1 which the people of the ,native ,villages of ,savoonga and ,gambell rely on heavily as a food source2 7#g7 rabies is enzootic in arctic and red fox populations in the northern and western coastal regions of the ,state of ,alaska2 7#h7 wildlife outbreaks occur cyclically1 and there have been increased human exposures to rabid animals between #bjbj and #bjbc2 7#i7 rabies transmission is a significant threat in ,alaska ,native communities and villages2 and 7#aj7 as of #bjbd1 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 communities1 ,alaska ,native villages1 or ,indian reservations1 including by providing spay and neuter services and vaccinations for animals4 7b7 ,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 people1 animals1 plants1 and their shared environment4 #c4 ,public health veterinary services ,title ,,ii of the ,indian ,health ,care ,improvement ,act is amended by inserting after section #bbc 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #afbav7 the following3 #bbd4 ,public health veterinary services 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,public health veterinary services ,the term public health veterinary services includes any of the following3 7,a7 spaying and neutering services for domestic animals2 7,b7 diagnoses2 7,c7 surveillance2 7,d7 epidemiology2 7,e7 control2 7,f7 prevention2 7,g7 elimination2 7,h7 vaccination2 and 7,i7 any other related service or activity that reduces the risk of zoonotic disease transmission or antimicrobial resistance in humans1 food1 or animals4 7#b7 ,zoonotic disease ,the term zoonotic disease means a disease or infection that may be transmitted naturally from vertebrate animals to humans1 or from humans to vertebrate animals4 7b7 ,authorization for veterinary services ,the ,secretary1 acting through the ,service1 may expend funds1 directly or pursuant to the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #ecja et seq471 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 endemic4 7c7 ,public health officers ,in providing public health veterinary services under subsection 7b71 the ,secretary shall deploy veterinary public health officers from the ,commissioned ,corps of the ,public ,health ,service to ,service areas4 7d7 ,coordination ,the ,secretary1 acting through the ,service1 shall carry out this section in coordination with-- 7#a7 the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention2 and 7#b7 the ,secretary of ,agriculture4 7e7 ,report ,the ,secretary shall submit to the ,committee on ,indian ,affairs of the ,senate1 the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions of the ,senate1 the ,committee on ,natural ,resources of the ,house of ,representatives1 and the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce of the ,house of ,representatives a biennial report on the use of funds1 the assignment and deployment of veterinary public health officers from the ,commissioned ,corps of the ,public ,health ,service1 data related to the monitoring and disease surveillance of zoonotic diseases1 and related services provided under this section4 4 #d4 ,,aphis wildlife services study on oral rabies vaccines in ,arctic regions of the ,united ,states ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,agriculture shall conduct a feasibility study-- 7#a7 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 ,states2 and 7#b7 that-- 7,a7 evaluates the efficacy of the vaccines described in paragraph 7#a72 and 7,b7 makes recommendations to improve the delivery of those vaccines4 #e4 ,one ,health framework ,section #bbce7;b7 of the ,prepare for and ,respond to ,existing ,viruses1 ,emerging ,new ,threats1 and ,pandemics ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjj;hh-#cg7;b77 is amended by striking and the ,secretary of the ,interior and inserting 1 the ,secretary of the ,interior1 and the ,director of the ,indian ,health ,service4