Ossoff Backs Bipartisan Veterinary Workforce Bill

Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) has co-sponsored a bill to strengthen the veterinary workforce by exempting student loan repayments from taxable income from veterinarians serving underserved areas. The legislation amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to "provide for an exclusion for assistance provided to participants in certain veterinary student loan repayment or forgiveness programs."

The measure is known as the Rural Veterinary Workforce Act.

Sen. Ossoff said that veterinarians are something that Georgia communities are dependent upon. This bill would address the need for more vets across the country and in the Peach State.

“Georgia communities depend on access to veterinary care — especially our farmers and ranchers. That’s why I am working with Republicans and Democrats to pass the bipartisan Rural Veterinary Workforce Act to strengthen Georgia’s veterinary workforce,” Sen. Ossoff said.

Moreover, the Georgia senator recently joined another bipartisan bill aiming to establish Georgia's first national park and preserve. The bill, known as the Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and Preserve Establishment Act, would federally protect the area in Macon, Georgia.

According to Sen. Ossoff, the lands are a part of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation's ancestral homelands with 12,000 years of history tied to the region. With the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources giving this bill the green light a few months ago, the Georgia senator believes this bill is on the right track.

“We made unprecedented progress last Congress toward creating Georgia’s first ever National Park,” Sen. Ossoff said. “I look forward to working alongside Congressman Scott, Senator Reverend Warnock, Congressman Bishop, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and local leaders to successfully establish Georgia’s first national park.”