Capitol Hill Briefing: Preparedness for Emerging Infectious Disease | |
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Kevin Cain, AAVMC Senior Director for Governmental Affairs, moderated a panel on September 10, 2024, about the recent detection of H5N1 avian influenza in U.S. dairy cattle and the spreading mpox outbreak.
Mr. Cain was joined by:
Gerald W. Parker, Jr., DVM, PhD
- Associate Dean For Global One Health College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University
Jonna Mazet, DVM, MPVM, PhD
- Epidemiologist & Vice Provost--Grand Challenges, UC Davis
Beate M. Crossley, DVM, PhD, MPVM, DIPL. EUVM
- Virologist & Professor California Animal Health & Food Safety Lab, UC Davis
Kiril Dimitrov, DVM, PhD
- Assistant Agency Director for Microbiology and Research and Development, Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory
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Pet Night on Capitol Hill 2024
AAVMC was a proud sponsor of Pet Week on Capitol Hill, which highlights the vital science behind the human-animal bond and its positive impact on our health and well-being.
As part of this year's celebration, new legislation was introduced called the People and Animals Well-being (PAW) Act. This bill would expand eligibility to include veterinary care expenses under tax-advantaged healthcare spending accounts, such as Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs). The bill also supports veterans and those with disabilities by imposing no limit on veterinary care expenses for service animals.
| Mr. Cain and his Boxer pup, Babette, attended Pet Night on Capitol Hill. | |
USDA, EPA, and FDA Introduce New Interactive Tool
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have introduced a new interactive tool to assist developers of genetically modified microorganisms in navigating regulatory requirements.
This web-based tool helps meet the goals of Executive Order 14081, which emphasizes transparency, efficiency, and coordination in biotechnology regulation.
It aims to clarify the regulatory process and enhance collaboration among agencies. The tool is part of ongoing efforts to modernize the Coordinated Framework for Biotechnology Regulation, which the federal government established in 1986 and was most recently updated in 2017. AAVMC has long supported streamlining the regulatory framework for genetically modified food animals.
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Title IX Webinar
In April 2024, the Biden administration finalized new Title IX regulations. The regulations include expanded protections against discrimination based on sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics. The regulations have been challenged in court, and 26 states are currently under injunctions preventing the adoption of the new rules.
Earlier this month, AAVMC hosted a members-only webinar on the status of Title IX regulations featuring Scott Goldschmidt of Thompson Coburn LLP.
Review the slides from the presentation now via AAVMC Learn.
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Updates on the Gainful Employment Rule
Under the Gainful Employment Rule, the Department of Education is asking institutions for the cost of program attendance and also the salary data for graduates post-graduation. The Department of Education had significant setbacks in launching the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), resulting in problems throughout admissions offices across the country.
As a result, AAVMC and others made the case that the data reporting on Gainful Employment should also be delayed, as the same individuals on
campuses were responsible for compiling all of the data sets and FAFSA. This position was backed up by a bipartisan letter from the Senate and has been delayed until January 15, 2025.
Learn more here.
Looking ahead, Mr. Cain has been meeting with congressional offices and Department of Education officials to encourage them to use a more accurate data set to evaluate the financial value of our programs.
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Continuing Resolution as Congress Adjourns | |
On September 26, President Biden signed a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the federal government through December 20, 2024. This will keep the government open and funded at current levels past the upcoming elections. This means that Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations bills will have to be addressed in the lame-duck session. | |
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Advocacy Letters
The AAVMC continues to work closely with a wide array of organizations that share our interests in supporting the advancement of academic veterinary medicine, food security, and public health. The letters below reflect some of that recent activity.
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AAVMC Government Affairs
Please contact: Kevin Cain, Director for Government Affairs at kcain@aavmc.org or 202-371-9195 (ext. 117) with any comments, questions and suggestions about our program.
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AAVMC Newsletters
The AAVMC is working hard to create a culture of diversity and inclusion in every dimension of academic veterinary medicine. To foster this goal, the photographs and illustrations which are used in our communications programs are aspirational, and do not necessarily reflect the levels of diversity and inclusion that currently exist.
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