Veterinary Education Equity Act

119th Congress Introduced by Joyce Beatty and 3 co-sponsors

The bill expands eligible recipients for veterinary services grants to include 1890 Institutions and gives them higher funding priority.

Introduced in House

Summary of Bill: HR 8505 (119th Congress) – Veterinary Education Equity Act

Purpose and intent

The bill aims to amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to improve the veterinary services grant program.

Specifically, it seeks to expand eligibility and establish higher grant-processing priority for certain institutions to advance veterinary education and services.

Key provisions and changes

Expansion of eligible institutions

Amends Section 1415B(a)(1) to add 1890 Institutions (as defined in the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998) to the list of entities eligible for veterinary services grants.
This expands beyond the existing categories (implied by the existing subparagraphs) to include historically Black land-grant institutions designated as 1890 Institutions.

Priority in grant funding

Adds a new subsection (c)(5) establishing a funding priority.
When the Secretary makes grants under the veterinary services program (subsection (b)), projects at 1890 Institutions shall be given higher priority.

Affected parties and entities

Primary participants: U.S. federal government program administrators (the Secretary) and grant recipients.

Specific beneficiaries: students, faculty, and veterinary programs at 1890 Institutions, which are historically Black land-grant institutions.

Other veterinary education stakeholders may include 2-year and 4-year veterinary programs, extension services, and communities served by such institutions.

Procedural and timeline aspects

The bill references amendments to an existing grant program under the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977.

There is no explicit funding authorization, dollar amounts, or implementation timeline detailed in the text provided.

The bill has been introduced and referred to the House Committee on Agriculture (as of the action history).

Potential impact and implications

By explicitly including 1890 Institutions in eligibility, the bill broadens the base of institutions that can receive veterinary services grants.

The higher funding priority for 1890 Institutions could accelerate capacity-building, resources, and training in veterinary education at these institutions.

Over time, this could influence outreach, veterinary workforce development in underserved communities, and alignment with federal goals for agricultural and veterinary services education equity.

Bill