HB172: HB172 Veterinary education; limits on student loan forgiveness program; provide

Georgia runs a loan purchase program that helps pay off veterinary school debt for graduates who agree to practice in the state, in exchange for the state buying up their loans. This bill changes several details of that program, found in Part 6A of Article 7 of Chapter 3 of Title 20 of the Georgia Code. It narrows eligibility so only veterinarians whose practice includes food animal specialties, and who have practiced 10 years or less, can qualify. It raises the total loan purchase cap from $80,000 to $90,000 per person, and raises the per-year service payment rate from $20,000 to $30,000 for every 12 months of qualifying service. It also updates which rural counties count as eligible locations, changing the population threshold from 35,000 to 50,000 residents and updating the census reference from 2010 to 2020. The bill also revises the contract cancellation section without substantive changes beyond restating existing board authority.

• Limits eligibility for the veterinary student loan purchase program to veterinarians practicing food animal specialties for 10 years or less.
• Raises the maximum total loan purchase amount a veterinarian can receive from $80,000 to $90,000.
• Increases the per-year loan purchase rate for service in an approved rural county from $20,000 to $30,000 per 12 months.
• Expands the definition of an eligible rural county from a population of 35,000 or less to 50,000 or less, using the 2020 census instead of the 2010 census.
• Restates the board's authority to cancel a loan purchase contract for sufficient cause, as long as that authority is not used arbitrarily.

Georgia veterinary school graduates and veterinarians who practice food animal medicine, especially those considering working in rural counties, along with the state board that administers the loan purchase program and rural communities seeking veterinary services.

Veterinarians who focus on food animals and practice in newly eligible mid-sized rural counties could receive more loan relief under the higher caps, potentially encouraging more of them to work in underserved rural areas of Georgia, while veterinarians without food animal specialties or with over 10 years of practice would no longer qualify.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 20-3-518.3 to restrict eligibility to veterinarians whose practice includes food animal specialties and who have practiced 10 years or less.
• Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 20-3-518.4 to raise the total loan purchase cap from $80,000 to $90,000 and the per-year payment rate from $20,000 to $30,000.
• Section 2 also raises the population threshold for an eligible rural county from 35,000 to 50,000 and updates the census reference from 2010 to 2020.
• Section 3 revises O.C.G.A. § 20-3-518.5, keeping the three-year contract term and the board's authority to cancel a contract for sufficient, non-arbitrary cause.
• Section 4 repeals all conflicting laws.

1. 2025-05-12Effective Date 2025-07-01
2. 2025-05-12Act 119
3. 2025-05-12House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-09House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-04-04Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-04-04Senate Third Read (Senate)
7. 2025-04-04Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
8. 2025-04-02Senate Tabled (Senate)

• David Huddleston (R, HD-072)Primary sponsor
• Chuck Efstration (R, HD-104)
• Robert Dickey (R, HD-134)
• Spencer Frye (D, HD-122)
• Jaclyn Ford (R, HD-170)
• Matt Brass (R, SD-006)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 26, 2025

   164 yea, 4 nay (6 not voting, 6 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #82

2. PassedSenate voteApril 4, 2025

   43 yea, 4 nay (7 not voting, 2 absent)

   Passage: Senate Vote #457

• veterinary medicine
• student loan forgiveness
• rural healthcare
• food animal veterinarians
• higher education funding