A bill that would provide veterinarian students with student loan funding if they work in a rural area has been reintroduced in Congress.
The Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act would give vets up to $25,000 a year for student loan repayment in exchange for at least three years in a USDA-designated rural veterinary shortage area.
Reps. Ron Kind (D-WI-3) and Adrian Smith (R-NE-3) reintroduced the bill to the House in April, and Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) reintroduced the bill in the Senate in June. The legislation would end the federal withholding tax on awards, freeing up funding. USDA designated 221 shortage areas in 48 different states for 2021.
The American Veterinary Medical Association has endorsed the bill.
