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Vaccines

CBO Analysis of S. 620: A Bill for Veterinary Services and Zoonotic Disease Prevention

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The bill S. 620 aims to authorize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide veterinary services to prevent and control zoonotic disease transmission. This includes employment of 18 veterinarians at the Indian Health Service (IHS) across 12 service regions, with estimated costs of $14 million over the 2025-2030 period and $46 million over the 2025-2035 period.

Key Takeaways:

  • The bill would authorize HHS to provide veterinary services to prevent and control zoonotic disease transmission, with a focus on Arctic regions of the United States.
  • The Indian Health Service (IHS) would employ 18 veterinarians to cover 12 service regions, with estimated costs of $14 million over the 2025-2030 period and $46 million over the 2025-2035 period.
  • The Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service would study the delivery of oral rabies vaccines to wildlife reservoir species, with estimated costs of $1 million over the 2025-2035 period.
  • The costs of the legislation would fall within budget functions 350 (agriculture) and 550 (health).
  • The bill would require biennial reports from HHS to the Congress on veterinary services and zoonotic disease transmission data.
  • The CBO staff contacts for this estimate include Erik O'Donoghue (Department of Agriculture) and Robert Stewart (Indian Health Service).

Statistics:

  • Estimated cost of employment of 18 veterinarians at IHS: $14 million over the 2025-2030 period and $46 million over the 2025-2035 period.
  • Estimated cost of the Department of Agriculture's vaccine studies: $1 million over the 2025-2035 period.
  • Secondary costs: insignificant for HHS, subject to appropriations.
  • Budget function allocations: 350 (agriculture) and 550 (health).
  • Period of costs: 2025-2030 and 2025-2035.

Sources:

  • Congressional Budget Office (CBO) - S. 620 estimate
  • Erik O'Donoghue (Department of Agriculture)
  • Robert Stewart (Indian Health Service)
  • Emily Stern, Senior Adviser for Budget Analysis

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