Politics

Sacramento, Calif. -- Bipartisan support in the California Legislature was not enough to save two animal-welfare laws from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's veto.

U.S. Rep. Kurt Shrader (D-Ore.), DVM, has been pulled into a number of discussions in Congress regarding public health, food safety and legislation targeting workforce expansion for veterinarians and calls on other DVMs and veterinary associations for input on policy decisions.

Washington -- The Veterinary Services Investment Act (VSIA), which will establish grants to confront veterinary-service shortages, was introduced by U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and John Thune (R-S.D.).

Santa Monica has joined San Francisco in trying to limit declawing before a new state law takes effect Jan. 1.

Lenoir, N.C. -- Dr. Beth Jones, a veterinarian from Lenoir, N.C., announced she will run for the state Senate in 2010, attempting to unseat District 44 Sen. Jim Jacumin (R-Burke).

As legislators grapple with complaints of veterinarian shortages, they are looking to technicians to help fill the gap. But what does this mean for the role of technicians in the veterinary profession?

Washington -- A new government study says the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) didn't adequately assess the biosecurity and economic risks of moving the Plum Island, N.Y., animal-disease research lab to a Kansas State University site in Manhattan, Kan.

Washington -- The Senate voted this week to slash funding for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) developed by the Department of Agriculture as a means of protecting the nation's food supply.

A Calif. high court has upheld a decision several states have already made.

A ballot issue that would create a statewide board standardizing livestock housing is a step in the right direction.

Sacramento - The fiscal crisis in California is so serious, the state issued IOUs to organizations relying on state funds to operate.

"We are not working as a team," says AVMA Executive Board Chair Dr. David L. McCrystle to a packed House of Delegates meeting Friday.

Seattle - The Utah Veterinary Medical Association wants the AVMA to lay off the "hard-line slant" it took when the policy on ear cropping and tail docking was changed late last year.

Gainesville, Fla. - The University of Florida veterinary college's pleas to state legislators and the university for minimal budget cuts achieved results.

Albany, N.Y. - New York veterinarians may have to certify some animal breeders if a bill is passed by state legislators.

Columbus, Ohio -- A ballot issue that would create a statewide board standardizing livestock housing is a step in the right direction, according to the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA).

Baton Rouge, La. -- Tuition may be going up $1,500 a year at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine next year if state legislators have their way.

Amarillo, Texas -- A Texas senator believes a new veterinary school, or a large-animal program, might be what it takes to increase the number of food-animal veterinarians in his state.

A California Senate bill that would have placed limits on antibiotic use in food animals has failed.

Veterinarian and Sen. John Ensign, R-Nevada, admitted Tuesday he had an affair with a member of his campaign staff.

Find everything smile-inducing from articles by Drs. Obenski and Brock, to lively staff-building activities, to entertaining videos by visitors like you.

Washington -- The American Horse Council (AHC) is putting together what it believes will be "the most inclusive presentation on safety and welfare ever assembled" June 16 at its annual National Issues Forum, focusing on "Welfare of the Horse."

Montpelier, Vt. -- Several states are considering laws that would allow pet owners to recover emotional damages for the loss of companion animals, but Vermont is no longer one of them.

As more governments look to enforce mandatory sterilization, the AVMA is standing firm in its opposition to the programs.

Columbus, Ohio -- The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is targeting Ohio's farming practices in an effort to change housing requirements for farm animals.

The Obama family welcomed "Bo," a 6-month-old Portuguese Water Dog over Easter weekend.

Washington -- A mandatory animal identification tracking system is the most effective way to minimize an animal disease outbreak.

Washington -- More money, and lots of it, is the only way to avoid a dramatic shortage of public-health veterinarians that could put the entire nation at risk, a Senate committee was told.