House panel hears bill to license board-certified veterinary specialists trained abroad

Representative Cooper presented a substitute to House Bill 91 to the Georgia House Committee on Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, proposing that veterinarians who trained at accredited foreign veterinary schools and who meet U.S. board-certification requirements be licensed in Georgia as board-certified specialists.

The bill is framed as a response to shortages of veterinary specialists, particularly in rural parts of the state. Cooper said the proposal would let foreign graduates who have completed the required internship and specialty training and who have passed a certifying board exam practice in Georgia as specialists. “If a foreign graduate meets all these requirements and passes the board, by one of our certifying associations … you can practice in the state as a board certified specialist,” Cooper said during her presentation.

Committee members asked about current restrictions and oversight. Cooper and other questioners noted that some other states allow foreign-trained veterinarians to practice, and that state boards typically rely on lists of accredited schools maintained by national organizations. Representative Meeks asked whether the American Veterinary Medical Association maintains an approved-school list; Cooper confirmed such lists exist and are used in licensing reviews. Committee members also raised the broader question of expanding domestic educational capacity as a long-term solution to veterinarian shortages.

The committee took the bill as a hearing item; Cooper said she would return next week for additional discussion. No committee vote was recorded during the session.

Ending: The hearing concluded with a plan to continue consideration at a subsequent meeting; no formal action was taken.