Executive Board members approved sending a report by the Task Force on Veterinary Infrastructure in Iraq and Afghanistan to the group's joint committee with the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges. The charge: to explore the concept of developing an overarching mechanism for the U.S. veterinary profession to address the increasingly global nature of veterinary medicine, particularly in the areas of educational, informational and operational needs.

The group also approved developing legislation designed to address the nation's unwanted horse population. The move follows AVMA's lobbying for the defeat of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act and a related amendment to the 2006 Agriculture Appropriations Bill, which passed. The board agreed to pay $1,000 in dues for participation in the Unwanted Horse Summit.

Additional funding was approved for the 2006 Biennial Economic Survey to develop increasingly detailed economic statistics on professional incomes of board-certified veterinary specialists.