Bill Text: IA HF2688 | 2023-2024 | 90th General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: A bill for an act providing for a rural veterinary practice innovation and revitalization fund and program to assist veterinary practices in certain counties, and making appropriations. (Formerly HF 2428.)
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2024-04-19 - NOBA: House Floor [HF2688 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2023-HF2688-Amended.html
House
File
2688
-
Reprinted
HOUSE
FILE
2688
BY
COMMITTEE
ON
APPROPRIATIONS
(SUCCESSOR
TO
HF
2428)
(As
Amended
and
Passed
by
the
House
April
15,
2024
)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
providing
for
a
rural
veterinary
practice
innovation
1
and
revitalization
fund
and
program
to
assist
veterinary
2
practices
in
certain
counties,
and
making
appropriations.
3
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
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2688
Section
1.
NEW
SECTION
.
159.31B
Definitions.
1
As
used
in
this
part,
unless
the
context
otherwise
requires:
2
1.
“Agricultural
animal”
means
an
animal
belonging
to
3
the
bovine,
caprine,
equine,
ovine,
or
porcine
species;
farm
4
deer
as
defined
in
section
170.1;
ostriches,
rheas,
and
emus;
5
turkeys,
chickens,
domestic
geese
or
ducks,
or
other
domestic
6
fowl;
fish
or
other
aquatic
organisms
confined
in
private
7
waters
for
human
consumption;
or
honey
bees.
8
2.
“Financial
assistance”
means
assistance
provided
only
9
from
the
moneys
and
assets
legally
available
to
the
department
10
pursuant
to
this
part
and
includes
assistance
in
the
form
of
11
grants,
low-interest
loans,
and
forgivable
loans.
12
3.
“Fund”
means
the
rural
veterinary
practice
innovation
and
13
revitalization
fund
established
in
section
159.31D.
14
4.
“Licensed
veterinarian”
means
an
individual
who
is
15
validly
and
currently
licensed
to
practice
veterinary
medicine
16
in
the
state
under
chapter
169.
17
5.
“Program”
means
the
rural
veterinary
practice
innovation
18
and
revitalization
program
established
in
section
159.31E.
19
6.
“Veterinary
practice”
means
a
business
engaged
in
the
20
practice
of
veterinary
medicine
as
defined
in
section
169.3,
21
as
any
of
the
following:
22
a.
An
individual
acting
as
solo
veterinary
practitioner.
23
b.
A
partnership
or
a
limited
liability
partnership
formed
24
under
chapter
486A
in
which
all
partnership
interests
are
held
25
by
licensed
veterinarians.
26
c.
A
limited
partnership
formed
under
chapter
488
in
which
27
all
interests
are
held
by
licensed
veterinarians.
28
d.
A
professional
limited
liability
company
formed
under
29
chapter
489
in
which
all
membership
interests
are
held
by
30
licensed
veterinarians.
31
e.
A
professional
corporation
formed
under
chapter
496C
in
32
which
all
shares
are
held
by
licensed
veterinarians.
33
f.
A
corporation
formed
under
chapter
504
in
which
all
34
shares
are
held
by
licensed
veterinarians.
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Sec.
2.
NEW
SECTION
.
159.31C
Administration.
1
1.
The
department
shall
administer
the
provisions
of
this
2
part,
including
by
adopting
rules
pursuant
to
chapter
17A
as
it
3
determines
are
necessary
or
desirable.
4
2.
In
administering
the
rural
veterinary
practice
5
innovation
and
revitalization
program,
the
department
shall
6
consult
with
the
Iowa
board
of
veterinary
medicine
as
provided
7
in
section
169.5
and
organizations
interested
in
animal
8
agriculture
and
the
health
of
agricultural
animals.
9
Sec.
3.
NEW
SECTION
.
159.31D
Rural
veterinary
practice
10
innovation
and
revitalization
fund.
11
1.
A
rural
veterinary
practice
innovation
and
12
revitalization
fund
is
established
in
the
state
treasury
under
13
the
management
and
control
of
the
department.
14
2.
The
fund
shall
include
moneys
appropriated
by
the
general
15
assembly
and
other
moneys
available
to
and
obtained
or
accepted
16
by
the
department,
including
moneys
from
public
or
private
17
sources.
18
3.
a.
Moneys
in
the
fund
are
appropriated
to
the
department
19
for
the
purpose
of
supporting
the
rural
veterinary
practice
20
innovation
and
revitalization
program
established
in
section
21
159.31E.
22
b.
The
department
may
use
not
more
than
five
percent
of
23
the
balance
of
the
unencumbered
and
unobligated
moneys
in
the
24
fund
at
the
beginning
of
a
fiscal
year
to
pay
for
the
costs
of
25
administering
the
program.
26
4.
a.
Notwithstanding
section
12C.7,
interest
or
earnings
27
on
moneys
in
the
fund
shall
be
credited
to
the
fund.
28
b.
Notwithstanding
section
8.33,
moneys
in
the
fund
that
29
remain
unencumbered
or
unobligated
at
the
end
of
a
fiscal
year
30
shall
not
revert.
31
Sec.
4.
NEW
SECTION
.
159.31E
Rural
veterinary
practice
32
innovation
and
revitalization
program.
33
1.
The
department
shall
establish
and
administer
the
rural
34
veterinary
practice
innovation
and
revitalization
program
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for
the
purpose
of
awarding
financial
assistance
to
eligible
1
veterinary
practices
to
expand
and
improve
veterinary
services
2
provided
to
agricultural
animals
in
those
counties
with
a
3
population
of
thirty
thousand
or
less
according
to
the
latest
4
preceding
federal
decennial
census
or
the
latest
applicable
5
population
estimate
issued
by
the
United
States
census
bureau,
6
whichever
is
most
recent.
7
2.
The
department
shall
award
financial
assistance
to
8
pay
for
project
costs
incurred
by
doing
one
or
more
of
the
9
following:
10
a.
Improve
or
expand
existing
facilities.
11
b.
Acquire
existing
equipment,
devices,
tools,
or
12
instruments.
13
c.
Incorporate
new
methods
and
technologies,
including
14
computerized
systems.
15
3.
The
department
shall
establish
eligibility
criteria
for
16
the
program
by
rule.
The
eligibility
criteria
must
include
all
17
of
the
following:
18
a.
The
veterinary
practice
must
be
located
in
this
state.
19
b.
A
licensed
veterinarian
associated
with
the
veterinary
20
practice
as
a
solo
practitioner,
partner,
limited
partner,
21
member,
or
shareholder
must
not
have
been
subject
to
22
disciplinary
action
in
this
state
or
another
state
within
the
23
last
five
years.
24
c.
The
veterinary
practice
must
only
employ
individuals
25
legally
authorized
to
work
in
this
state.
26
d.
The
veterinary
practice
must
not
currently
be
in
27
bankruptcy.
28
e.
The
veterinary
practice
must
employ
less
than
fifty
29
individuals.
30
4.
A
veterinary
practice
seeking
financial
assistance
under
31
this
section
must
make
application
to
the
department
in
the
32
manner
prescribed
by
the
department
by
rule.
33
5.
Applications
shall
be
accepted
during
one
or
more
annual
34
application
periods
to
be
determined
by
the
department.
Upon
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reviewing
and
scoring
all
applications
that
are
received
during
1
an
application
period,
and
subject
to
funding,
the
department
2
may
award
financial
assistance
to
eligible
veterinary
3
practices.
A
financial
assistance
award
shall
not
exceed
the
4
amount
of
eligible
project
costs
included
in
the
eligible
5
application.
6
Sec.
5.
RURAL
VETERINARY
PRACTICE
INNOVATION
AND
7
REVITALIZATION
FUND
AND
PROGRAM.
8
1.
There
is
appropriated
from
the
general
fund
of
the
state
9
to
the
department
of
agriculture
and
land
stewardship
for
the
10
fiscal
year
beginning
July
1,
2024,
and
ending
June
30,
2025,
11
the
following
amount,
or
so
much
thereof
as
is
necessary,
to
be
12
used
for
the
purposes
designated:
13
For
deposit
in
the
rural
veterinary
practice
innovation
and
14
revitalization
fund
as
provided
in
section
159.31D:
15
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$
750,000
16
2.
Of
the
moneys
appropriated
in
this
section,
a
veterinary
17
practice
shall
not
receive
more
than
$25,000
in
any
fiscal
18
year
under
the
rural
veterinary
practice
innovation
and
19
revitalization
program
established
in
section
159.31E.
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