On the recordDecember 7, 2010
Thank you, Mr. Clay, once again. And certainly I want to thank the outstanding leadership of my colleague, Mr. Kurt Schrader of Oregon, who's the chief sponsor of this bill, for it is, indeed, a very important bill. I too want to thank the gentlelady from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) for her leadership on this, and Mr. Towns, chairman of our Oversight Committee, for assisting us with making sure this bill got on the suspension calendar. Madam Speaker, H.R. 1531, designating 2011 as World Veterinary Year, is a simple but an extraordinarily important gesture, offering recognition for an often overlooked yet increasingly very important profession, and that is the field of veterinary medicine. We all know the role veterinarians play in keeping our pets healthy. As a pet owner myself, I've come to depend on the expertise and the skill of my vet to keep my precious dog, Jazz, very healthy. But the work of veterinarians is so much more vital than just giving rabies shots and passing out medicine. As chairman of our Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry, what I would like to highlight, Madam Speaker, is the crucial role that our veterinarians play in keeping our food supply safe--not just keeping our animals safe and healthy, but keeping our food supply safe and healthy. {time} 1500 They are the ones that we are growing more and more to depend upon for this important role.…





