WASHINGTON, DC – Energy and Commerce Committee leaders today applauded the news that H.R. 1528, the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act, was signed into law late Friday. The bipartisan legislation, authored by Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Ted Yoho (R-FL), will allow veterinarians to administer care at a site other than their registered principal place of business. The Subcommittee on Health, chaired by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA), has a strong record of bipartisan success with nearly two dozen public health measures now law.

Full Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) praised the new law, stating, "The Energy and Commerce Committee has a proven record of results, and this new law is just the latest bipartisan success in public health. This commonsense bill will have a significant impact on the veterinary community, providing peace of mind to our nation’s vets that they will not be breaking the law if they administer care in a local stable, or a local pasture."

Specifically, the legislation amends the Controlled Substances Act to clarify that a veterinarian who has registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration may transport, administer, and dispense controlled substances, in the regular course of veterinary practice, without having to obtain separate registrations for each location. This new law will allow veterinarians to dispense substances in the usual course of veterinary practice at a site other than their registered principal place of business, as long as the veterinarian is licensed in each state in which they practice.

Subcommittee Chairman Pitts added, "This new law injects a dose of commonsense, ensuring that our vets can administer care directly to large animals like horses and cattle in the field without fear of being arrested or losing their license. Oftentimes, especially during emergencies, large animals must be treated on site, and prohibiting our vets from doing so would needlessly cause many animals to suffer and potentially perish. This bipartisan law is an important win for our veterinarians, our farmers and livestock owners, and it is the right policy."

Watch Chairman Pitts’ full statement on H.R. 1528 on the House floor here.

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