House Bill 400 which will make changes in Kentucky policy to allow the creation of a veterinary medicine school in Kentucky is one step closer to becoming law after passing the Kentucky House Agriculture Committee Wednesday morning.
The bill was introduced by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Richard Heath, who filed the bill that was co-sponsored by 53 legislators. Murray State University President Bob Jackson says House Bill 400 has received tremendous support across the state.
President Jackson says a veterinary medicine school has been fifty years in the making.
click to download audioHutson School of Agriculture Dean Dr. Briann Parr says the shortage of large animal vets puts livestock operations across the state at risk.
click to download audioMeanwhile, Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association Governmental Relations Chairman Jim Weber says the association has not endorsed House Bill 400 yet.
click to download audioDr. Tammy Smith, a veterinarian in Knox County, says she has three reservations about House Bill 400. Dr. Smith says she has worked as a clinical facilitator for Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, TN, and is concerned about the inconsistencies of the education, stress on fourth-year students, and the under-saturation of clinical sites.
click to download audioFollowing more than an hour of testimony, the House Agriculture Committee approved the policy change to allow a veterinary medical school in Kentucky with 14 members voting yes, 4 voting pass, and two voting no.
House Bill 400 now moves to the Kentucky House of Representatives floor for debate.
