Revised
June, 2008
Administration: These statutes are administered by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Industry, State Office Building, 301 Centennial Mall South, Lincoln, Nebraska 68509. Telephone: (402) 471-2351.
Revisions: This act was initiated during the 2008 session of the Nebraska Legislature.
Rules: No regulations have been promulgated under this act.
54-501 Act, how cited.
54-502 Terms, defined.
54-503 Program; participation; incentives.
54-504 Applicant; eligibility; preference.
54-505 Distribution of program funds.
54-506 Release from program; when; recovery of payments.
54-507 Food Supply Animal Veterinary Incentive Fund; created;
use; investment.
54-508 Rules and regulations.
54-501. Act, how cited. Sections
54-501 to 54-508 shall be known and may be cited as the Food Supply Animal Veterinary
Incentive Program Act.
54-502. Terms, defined. For
purposes of the Food Supply Animal Veterinary Incentive Program Act:
(2) Food supply animal includes cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, and poultry;
(3) Food supply animal veterinarian means a veterinarian who is engaged in general or
food supply animal practice as his or her primary focus of practice and who has a
substantial portion of his or her practice devoted to food supply animal veterinary
medicine;
(4) Program means the Food Supply Animal Veterinary Incentive Program; and
(5) Rural mixed animal veterinary practice means practice as a food supply animal
veterinarian in a rural area and a substantial portion of the practice involves food supply
animal veterinary practice.
54-503. Program; participation; incentives.
Each year the department shall select from a pool of applicants up to four
veterinarians to participate in the program. The selected veterinarians are eligible to
receive up to eighty thousand dollars under the program as an incentive to locate in
rural Nebraska and practice food supply animal veterinary medicine.
54-504. Applicant; eligibility; preference.
(b) Be licensed to practice veterinary medicine in this state;
(c) Enter into a contract with the department to provide full-time veterinary medicine
services as a food supply animal veterinarian in a food supply animal veterinary practice
or in a rural mixed animal veterinary practice for four years in one or more communities
approved by the department; and
(d) Be accredited by the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant
Inspection Service, Veterinary Services to provide services relating to food supply
animals by the end of the first year of service.
54-505. Distribution of program funds.
(b) After completing the second year of service under the contract, the veterinarian is
eligible to receive up to fifteen thousand dollars;
(c) After completing the third year of service under the contract, the veterinarian is
eligible to receive up to twenty-five thousand dollars; and
(d) After completing the fourth year of service under the contract, the veterinarian is
eligible to receive up to twenty-five thousand dollars.
54-506. Release from program; when; recovery of
payments.
(b) The veterinarian is unable to complete the service requirements of the contract
because of a permanent physical disability;
(c) The veterinarian demonstrates extreme hardship or shows other good cause
justifying the release; or
(d) The veterinarian dies.
54-507. Food Supply Animal Veterinary Incentive Fund;
created; use; investment. The Food Supply Animal Veterinary
Incentive Fund is created. The fund may be used to carry out the purposes of the Food
Supply Animal Veterinary Incentive Program Act. The State Treasurer shall credit to the
fund any money appropriated to the fund by the Legislature and any money received as
gifts or grants or other private or public funds received under the act. Any money in the
fund available for investment shall be invested by the state investment officer pursuant
to the Nebraska Capital Expansion Act and the Nebraska State Funds Investment Act.
54-508. Rules and regulations. The
department shall adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to carry out the Food
Supply Animal Veterinary Incentive Program Act.
(1) Department means the Department of Agriculture;
(1) To be eligible for funds under the program, an applicant shall:
(a) Be a graduate of an approved veterinary medical school;
(2) The department shall give preference for approving communities for purposes of
subdivision (1)(c) of this section to communities located in areas designated by the
department as shortage areas for food supply animal veterinary medical services. In
designating such areas, the department may initially utilize shortage areas as
designated by the American Veterinary Medical Association on July 18, 2008, and may
revise designations as necessary and appropriate to achieve the purposes of the
program.
(1) To the extent that funds are available, program funds shall be distributed as follows:
(a) After completing the first year of service under the contract, the veterinarian is
eligible to receive up to fifteen thousand dollars;
(2) If the veterinarian does not complete an entire year of service or if sufficient funds
are not available to provide the full dollar amount of incentive in a year, the amount
distributed under this section for that year shall be prorated.
(1) A veterinarian shall be released from the program contract without penalty if:
(a) The veterinarian has completed the service requirements of the contract;
(2)(a) A veterinarian shall be released from further performance of veterinary services
under the program contract if he or she is unable to perform his or her contractual
obligations to provide veterinary services due to the suspension or revocation of his or
her federal accreditation or denial, refusal of renewal, limitation, suspension, revocation,
or other disciplinary measure taken against his or her license to practice in Nebraska
pursuant to section 71-1,163 until December 1, 2008, and section 38-3324 on and after
December 1, 2008.
(b) If a veterinarian is released from his or her contract pursuant to subdivision (a) of
this subsection, the department may recover a portion of or all of the payments made to
such veterinarian under section 54-505. The department shall remit any such funds to
the State Treasurer for credit to the Food Supply Animal Veterinary Incentive Fund. The
department may use appropriate remedies available to enforce this subdivision.
(3) The State of Nebraska shall be released from any further obligation under the Food
Supply Animal Veterinary Incentive Program Act or any contract entered into with a
veterinarian under the act if the veterinarian is released from the program pursuant to
this section.