A new loan forgiveness program for veterinary medicine graduates is waiting for funding in Washington.

The recently passed National Veterinary Medical Service Act allows veterinarians the same opportunity for debt forgiveness as their colleagues in other health professions.

John Thomson, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, has been involved in advocacy of this issue since his time at Mississippi State University. He said the act provides incentives for “serving in areas which … are deemed vital to the national security interest, like epidemiology or pathology, and also to work in under-served regions around the country.”

President Bush signed House Resolution 1367 into law in December 2003, but the law awaits funding along with the rest of the government’s spending. Under the terms of the act, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture would determine which areas were under-served or short and pay a certain amount of a veterinarian’s student loans after each year of service.

Audra Mills, a prospective veterinary medicine student and a freshman in biology, said she didn’t know much about the act, but added she was interested in learning more about it and possibly using it.

“I’ve never heard about it, but it seems like a great opportunity to serve,” she said. “The typical debt load for Vet Med graduates is amazingly high, so I would probably use this opportunity.”

Thomson said a good lobbying effort is needed. He said several professional and student organizations would continue to gather support.

“The most critical part is to encourage the national student organization to contact all the delegates from across the country,” Thomson said. “It’s going to take that kind of effort to give the decision makers an appreciation for the importance of this bill.”

The office of Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, one of the sponsors, was unavailable for comment.

Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., sponsored the original bill.

“The bill has become law, but that’s just one of two steps,” said Gavin Williams, Cochran’s spokesman. “The next thing that happens is the authorization of the appropriations part of it.”

Williams said he was uncertain whether Cochran’s office would exert some of its influence.

“It’s like tapping the pilot on the shoulder and asking, ‘Are we landing yet?’ while the plane is landing,” he said.