Veterinary school loan repayments considered in Wisconsin

Madison, Wis.

-- A new bill that would repay up to $50,000 in veterinary school loans for new Wisconsin food-animal practitioners is receiving a public hearing next week in front of the Wisconsin Senate's Committee on Agriculture and Higher Education.

Wisconsin Senate Bill 497 would authorize the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents to repay up to $50,000 in educational loans for any veterinarian who agrees to practice food-animal medicine in the state for at least 35 hours per week for four years.The Senate would draw money from general purpose revenue and contributions from local governments and private entities. If the program was ever underfunded, the board would choose to pay current participants based on their location in the state, their likelihood to remain in the state, and their individual educational debt as well as whether they graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Veterinary Medicine.

The public hearing is scheduled for February 10.