Bill
HR 8473
Funds and coordinates public health veterinary services in Tribal areas to prevent zoonotic diseases, including vaccination, surveillance, and cross-agency collaboration.
Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act (HR 8473, 118th Congress; introduced April 23, 2026)
Overview
- Purpose: To provide public health veterinary services to Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations for rabies prevention and related zoonotic disease control, using a One Health approach that connects human, animal, and environmental health. The bill authorizes federal support and coordination to empower Tribal communities to address zoonotic threats.
Key Provisions
1) Public Health Veterinary Services (PHVS) authorization
- Amends Title II of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act by adding a new Section 224: Public Health Veterinary Services.
- Definitions:
- Public Health Veterinary Services include spaying/neutering of domestic animals, diagnoses, surveillance, epidemiology, control, prevention, elimination, vaccination, and other related activities that reduce zoonotic disease transmission or antimicrobial resistance in humans, food, or animals.
- Zoonotic disease: diseases that may be transmitted between vertebrate animals and humans.
- Authorization and funding:
- The Secretary (through the Indian Health Service, IHS) may expend funds to provide PHVS in Service areas where zoonotic disease risk is endemic.
- Use of funds may be direct or via the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDA) mechanisms.
- Public health officers and coordination:
- The IHS may deploy veterinary public health officers from the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps to Service areas.
- Coordination with the CDC and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is required for implementation.
- Reporting:
- A biennial report to Congress (Senate Committee on Indian Affairs; Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; House Committee on Natural Resources; House Committee on Energy and Commerce) detailing fund use, personnel deployment, disease surveillance data, and services provided.
2) ARCTIC wildlife oral rabies vaccine study
- Requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct within one year of enactment a feasibility study on delivering oral rabies vaccines to wildlife species in Arctic regions connected to rabies transmission to Tribal members.
- The study must assess vaccine efficacy and provide recommendations to improve vaccine delivery.
3) One Health framework update
- Amends the One Health framework under the PREP Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh–37(b)) to explicitly include the Director of the Indian Health Service alongside the Secretary of the Interior in collaborative One Health activities.
Who is affected
- Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations serving communities in Service areas under IHS.
- IHS and tribal health programs implementing PHVS.
- Public Health Service Commissioned Corps veterinary officers who may be assigned to tribal areas.
- Federal agencies: IHS, CDC, USDA (particularly in the coordination and reporting processes).
- Tribal members in rural or remote areas at risk for zoonotic diseases, including rabies.
Timelines and Procedural Details
- Biennial reporting: The Secretary must submit a biennial report to specified congressional committees detailing fund usage, officer deployments, disease surveillance data, and related services.
- Arctic rabies vaccine study: Feasibility study to be completed not later than one year after enactment.
- Implementation authority: Funding and deployment are authorized to be used under existing ISDA authorities, with potential cross-agency coordination.
Notes
- The bill frames IHS as a central coordinator for a One Health approach to zoonotic disease prevention within Tribal communities.
- It emphasizes vaccination, surveillance, epidemiology, and preventive controls, and contemplates collaboration with CDC and USDA.
- It expands the scope of wildlife vaccination considerations in Arctic regions connected to human exposure risks.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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