Colorado § 23-31-1001 Legislative declaration

Colorado Statutes

§ 23-31-1001 — Legislative declaration

Colorado § 23-31-1001

Title 23Postsecondary Education

Art.Colorado State University

This text of Colorado § 23-31-1001 (Legislative declaration) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Colo. Rev. Stat. § 23-31-1001 (2026).

Text

(1)The general assembly finds and determines that:

(a)More than one-third of rural communities in Colorado have at most one livestock-oriented veterinarian, thus leaving the owners of hundreds of thousands of livestock with little or no access to veterinary medicine;

(b)Food security and safety are directly linked to animal health;

(c)Colorado plays a key role in meeting our growing population's increasing demand for protein;

(d)According to nationwide market statistics developed for the American Veterinary Medical Association, less than five percent of veterinarians in the United States practice predominantly on livestock;

(e)Rural veterinarians play a critical role in protecting the health of animals and humans;

(f)Many graduates of Colorado state university's college

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(1) The general assembly finds and
determines that:

(a) More than one-third of rural communities in Colorado have at most one
livestock-oriented veterinarian, thus leaving the owners of hundreds of thousands
of livestock with little or no access to veterinary medicine;

(b) Food security and safety are directly linked to animal health;

(c) Colorado plays a key role in meeting our growing population's increasing
demand for protein;

(d) According to nationwide market statistics developed for the American
Veterinary Medical Association, less than five percent of veterinarians in the United
States practice predominantly on livestock;

(e) Rural veterinarians play a critical role in protecting the health of animals
and humans;

(f) Many graduates of Colorado state university's college of veterinary
medicine and biomedical sciences were raised in rural areas and are interested in
livestock-oriented practice; however, these graduates often feel limited to practice
in areas of the state with higher starting salaries due to their loan repayment
obligations; and

(g) Loan forgiveness and repayment programs in other states have improved
veterinarians' ability to pursue veterinary practices in rural areas.

(2) Therefore, the general assembly determines and declares that a
veterinary education loan repayment program would benefit Colorado by providing
financial incentives for veterinarians to practice in rural areas in which veterinary
needs are not currently being met.