Statewide Iowa (RI) — A state tax break for some Iowa high school grads who’ve become veterinarians is being considered in the Iowa Senate.
It’s for veterinarians getting federal student loan assistance who are practicing in Iowa counties the USDA designates as areas where there’s a shortage of veterinary services.
Jennifer Dorman is a lobbyist for the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association.
Jake Swanson, a lobbyist for the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, says it’s no secret that there’s a shortage of veterinarians in rural Iowa.
The bill won approval in a Senate subcommittee this morning.
A recent study by Penn State University found only three to four percent of graduating veterinarians planned to enter a practice that primarily serves livestock, and about half of rural veterinarians in the United States are within five years of retiring.
KIWA Staff Photo
