Veterinary Mobility Act seems to have clear path to President's desk

The Veterinary Mobility Act, H.R. 1528, continues to gain momentum after being passed out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee April 3. The bill has been at the top of the American Veterinary Medicine Association’s legislative agenda. Ashley Morgan, DVM, assistant director for the AVMA’s Governmental Relations Division, says the bill could go before the full House as early as this week.

The bill to amend the Controlled Substances Act to exempt mobile veterinarians has significant bipartisan support. At the urging of Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-Penn.), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, H.R. 1528 was approved by the full committee with unanimous consent without further discussion or dissent. Morgan considers this a huge victory for the veterinary profession, as there seems to be a clear path to passage. “The Senate has already unanimously passed its version of the bill back in January, so once H.R. 1528 gets passed out of the House, it will pave the way for the bill to get signed into law by the president,” Morgan says.

The passage of the Veterinary Mobility Act will allow veterinarians to carry and use controlled substances in the usual course of practice outside of locations registered with Drug Enforcement Agency. It will also alleviate legal burdens the CSA creates for veterinarians practicing in multiple states. The founders of the U.S. House Veterinary Medicine Caucus--Reps. Kurt Schrader, DVM, (D-Ore.) and Ted Yoho, DVM, (R-Fla.)--introduced the legislation last spring after veterinarians received notices of noncompliance from DEA field officers.