{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-698.33","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 59, § 59-698.33","heading":"Short title — Dr. Lee Denney Act of 2024 — Veterinary","body":"training program for rural Oklahoma.\n\nA. This act shall be known and may be cited as the \"Dr. Lee\n\nDenney Act of 2024\".\n\nB. There is hereby established the veterinary training program\n\nfor rural Oklahoma to be administered by the Oklahoma State\n\nUniversity Center for Veterinary Medicine Authority. The program\n\nshall be developed and implemented in order to provide\n\nencouragement, opportunities and incentives for persons pursuing a\n\nveterinary medicine degree at Oklahoma State University to locate\n\ntheir veterinary practice in rural Oklahoma communities, and receive\n\nspecialized training targeted to meet the needs of livestock\n\nproducers in rural Oklahoma communities.\n\nC. Each year the Authority may enter into program agreements\n\nwith veterinary students or currently practicing large animal\n\nveterinarians with qualifying school loans, as determined by the\n\nAuthority. Preference shall be given to those students and\n\nveterinarians who are focused on large animal veterinary medicine,\n\nwho are Oklahoma residents and who agree to serve in a community as\n\ndescribed in paragraph 3 of subsection E of this section, which is\n\ndetermined by the Authority to be an underserved area for the\n\npractice of veterinary medicine. Allocation shall be prioritized to\n\neligible students currently enrolled at the Oklahoma State\n\nUniversity College of Veterinary Medicine.\n\nD. Each student or large animal veterinarian entering into a\n\nprogram agreement under this section shall receive assistance in an\n\namount not to exceed Twenty-five Thousand Dollars ($25,000.00) per\n\nyear for not more than four (4) years for tuition, books, supplies\n\nand other school expenses, and travel and training expenses incurred\n\nby the student in pursuing a veterinary medicine degree. Upon\n\nsatisfaction of all commitments under the provisions of the\n\nagreement and the provisions of this section, the financial\n\nobligations pursuant to this section shall be deemed satisfied and\n\nforgiven.\n\nE. Each program agreement shall require that the person\n\nreceiving the assistance:\n\n1. Complete the veterinary medicine degree program at the\n\nOklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine;\n\n2. Complete all requirements in public health, livestock\n\nbiosecurity, foreign animal disease diagnosis, regulatory veterinary\n\nmedicine and zoonotic disease, and an externship and mentoring\n\nrequirement with a licensed, accredited veterinarian in rural\n\nOklahoma as required by the Veterinary College;\n\n3. Engage in a full-time practice focused on large animal\n\nmedicine in any community in Oklahoma which has a population not\n\nexceeding twenty-five thousand (25,000) as determined by the most\n\nrecent Federal Decennial Census at the time the person entered into\n\nthe program agreement for a period of at least twelve (12)\n\ncontinuous months for each separate year a student receives\n\nassistance under the program, unless the obligation is otherwise\n\nsatisfied as provided in this section. If, after the date a program\n\nagreement was entered into by the parties, a community no longer\n\nmeets the maximum population requirements provided in this\n\nparagraph, a person engaging in the full-time practice of veterinary\n\nmedicine pursuant to the program agreement shall continue to\n\npractice in that designated community; and\n\n4. Commence a full-time practice focused on large animal\n\nmedicine in that community within ninety (90) days after completion\n\nof the person's degree program, or if the person enters a postdegree\n\ntraining program, such as a graduate school or internship or\n\nresidency program, within ninety (90) days after completion of the\n\npostdegree training program.\n\nF. Upon the failure of a person to satisfy the obligation to\n\nengage in the full-time practice of veterinary medicine in\n\naccordance with the provisions of this section, that person shall\negree program, or if the person enters a postdegree\n\ntraining program, such as a graduate school or internship or\n\nresidency program, within ninety (90) days after completion of the\n\npostdegree training program.\n\nF. Upon the failure of a person to satisfy the obligation to\n\nengage in the full-time practice of veterinary medicine in\n\naccordance with the provisions of this section, that person shall\n\nrepay to the Authority, within ninety (90) days of the failure, the\n\namount equal to the assistance provided to the person less a\n\nprorated amount based on any periods of practice of veterinary\n\nmedicine meeting the requirements of this section, plus interest at\n\nthe prime rate of interest plus two percent (2%) from the date the\n\nassistance accrued. The interest shall be compounded annually.\n\nG. An obligation to engage in the practice of veterinary\n\nmedicine in accordance with the provisions of this section shall be\n\npostponed during:\n\n1. Any period of temporary medical disability during which the\n\nperson obligated is unable to practice veterinary medicine due to\n\nthe disability; and\n\n2. Any other period of postponement agreed to or determined in\n\naccordance with criteria agreed to in the practice agreement.\n\nH. An obligation to engage in the practice of veterinary\n\nmedicine in accordance with the provisions of the agreement and this\n\nsection shall be satisfied:\n\n1. If the obligation to engage in the practice of veterinary\n\nmedicine in accordance with the agreement has been completed;\n\n2. If, because of permanent disability, the person obligated is\n\nunable to practice veterinary medicine; or\n\n3. The person who is obligated dies.\n\nI. The Authority may adopt additional provisions, requirements\n\nor conditions to participate in this program as are practicable and\n\nappropriate to accomplish the provisions of the program or may be\n\nrequired for the implementation or administration of the program,\n\nand are not inconsistent with the provisions of this section.","path":["OK Code","Title 59"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os59.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"063fe1f3163357a6ff8e156a1a521a885f540cc5f28cdaed96cc3ff7ed1945fa","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-698.32","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-698.4"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}