
AVMA: Lobby your senator to pass the Farm Bill
Washington - 11/20/07 - In an effort to get the bogged down Farm Bill passed with its veterinary-related amendments, the American Veterinary Medical Association's political arm wants DVMs to contact their senators.
Washington - 11/20/07 - In an effort to get the bogged down Farm Bill passed with its veterinary-related amendments, the
To do the job right, Dr. Mark Lutchaunig, director of AVMA's Governmental Relations Division, offers some grassroots lobbying lessons:
Personal visits and phone calls are most effective, especially while lawmakers are home during the holiday break, he says.
"The best thing to do is visit," Lutschaunig says. "If you call, ask for the staffer in charge of the Farm Bill specifically. If you just leave a message, some people think that does nothing. The same goes for faxes and letters, yet if you do send mail, the key is to personalize it. If they see a bunch of the same letters coming in, they're less apt to take it seriously."
The AVMA's Washington representative also asks DVM constituents to specifically mention the National Veterinary Medical Services Act (NVMSA), included in the Senate's version of the measure.
About the bill:
The Farm Bill, an extensive spending plan for most things agriculture, is expected to cost $288 billion over five years. The House passed its $290-billion version July 27, yet it does not contain many of the veterinary-related measures included in the Senate's version. The two chambers must hammer out a compromise before the appropriations measure goes up for President Bush's signature.
Authorization for the current Farm Bill ran out in September, yet a continuing resolution has kept its programs running at previous funding levels. The Senate, which reconvenes Nov. 26, is rumored to take the issue back up. Here are some amendment highlights in the Senate's version that pertain to veterinary medicine:
- The Veterinary Workforce Grant Program, offers competitive grants to U.S. veterinary medical institutions to increase capacity for students interested in agriculture biosecurity earns a mention. Language in the newly formed Agriculture Security Subtitle does not include a specific dollar amount for funding.
- The near-broke federal
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