NJ Hearings on the Budget

Kristin Kicenuik represented all NJ Veterinary students, past, present and future, today in Atlantic City at the NJ Budget Hearings attended by Louis Greenwald, Chairman of the Budget Committee. She made excellent points with the committee presenting them with written and oral arguments for keeping NJ Contract Seats in the budget. Access to Veterinary Medical Education was emphasized to the committtee. Statistics regarding the top 14 states in Population in the US were presented and it was a surprise that ONLY NEW JERSEY has NO state-supported in-state Veterinary School of the top 14 states in population. The need for ACCESS to Veterinary Education for NJ Students was presented. Hopefully, our legislators will recognize the need for Vets for the medical and pharmaceutical industries and for the need for Homeland Security issues (diseases of animals and humans) and for the continued replacement of Vets currently practicing in New Jersey and will be retiring in the future. We need to have Veterinarians willing to live and practice in New Jersey. Other states have a strong commitments for providing ACCESS to Veterinary Medical Education to provide their states with Veterinarians. Please see the petiton and have everyone sign at:

http://www.petitiononline.com/VMEA1971/petition.html


Thanks to Kristin for a job well done. I hope the budget commiteee does the right thing and keep the NJ Contract seats at full-funding for the FY08.