University prepares to lobby new state legislature for Penn Vet funding

As partisan attacks become more commonplace as the midterm election approaches, there is an issue on which Democratic and Republican Pennsylvania lawmakers seem to agree: giving money to Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine.

Vet School funding, which amounted to $28.26 million in 2014 and comprises over a third of the school’s $82.6 million budget, remains one of Penn’s biggest stakes in Pennsylvania government.

“It’s incredibly important; I really don’t think we’d be as good as we are without it,” said Carol Pooser, assistant dean of advancement, alumni relations and communications for Penn Vet. “Because it is primarily given in support of agriculture, which is the state of Pennsylvania’s largest industry, most of the way we spend that state money goes towards that.”

Statewide support for agricultural interests, which include the work at the Vet School, has rendered it a minor issue in the gubernatorial race, which heads into its final two weeks with Democratic candidate Tom Wolf leading Republican Governor Tom Corbett in most polls. Both candidates continue to express broad support for Pennsylvania agriculture, the state’s largest industry.

But as Election Day nears, Penn’s state lobbyist isn’t focusing as much on the governor’s race as he is on convincing new state legislators why Penn Vet funding is so important. While the 50 state senators and 203 state representatives have historically supported Penn Vet funding in a bipartisan manner, new elected officials always require convincing.

“For this particular issue of the Vet School, we typically see all 253 members of the General Assembly every year,” said Hugh Allen, Penn’s state lobbyist in the Office of Government and Community Affairs. “What we strive to do for our campus clients is to show the General Assembly why there is a strong return on their investment.”

With at least 26 new members of the General Assembly, Allen noted, “We need to get in front of every single one of them and explain to them what we do, how we do it and why it matters.”

Penn and the agricultural industry share a common goal of maintaining, and possibly expanding, the funding received by Penn Vet.

“The Penn Vet appropriation really benefits Pennsylvania’s largest industry, which is agriculture,” Allen said. “There is a sort of symbiotic relationship between Penn and agriculture.”

According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, the value of all agricultural products sold in Pennsylvania is $7.4 billion , and Penn Vet plays an important role in sustaining the health of the industry.

“When we are taking about a multi-billion-dollar industry, which is agriculture in Pennsylvania, the role of veterinarians and diagnostic capabilities is absolutely critical,” said Chris Herr, executive vice president of PennAg Industries, which lobbies Pennsylvania lawmakers on behalf of agricultural interests. “One of our number one legislative priorities is the state appropriation for Penn Vet. It is critical. Many of the 60,000 Pennsylvania farmers, many who have livestock, rely on it.”

Although bipartisan support exists for continued Penn Vet funding, economic issues could decrease the state’s revenue and tighten its budget, which some advocates believe could lead lawmakers to put agricultural funding on the chopping block.

“We’ve seen cuts to agriculture — drastic cuts in 2008, 2009 and 2010 — due to state of the economy and things like that,” said Mike Radar, a spokesperson for state Sen. Elder Vogel (R-Beaver), who chairs the Senate Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee. “I think the economy has the largest role to play in the funding of agriculture, but I think generally a lot of policymakers see the benefit in providing funding for programs that support agriculture.”

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