Legislative

21 April

Change.org petition seeks ban on feline declawing

wsvma   |   Legislative

A petition began circulating this week on the website, change.org, encouraging Washington State officials to ban the practice of feline declaw surgery. Over 3,000 signatures have been collected so far. The petition’s author outlines reasons for banning the procedure and directs delivery of the message to Gov. Jay Inslee, Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib, Secretary of State Kim Wyman along with eight state senators. Feline declawing is currently banned in several European countries, Australia and New Zealand. Legislation outlawing the procedure passed...

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14 April

Tethering legislation heads to Governor for signature

wsvma   |   Legislative

Senate Bill 5356 creating humane standards to address the tethering and chaining of dogs passed the House last week after passing the Senate unanimously. The bill is now sent to Governor Jay Inslee for signature. The bill requires that dogs must be able to move comfortably, have access to water and clean, safe shelter. It prohibits tethering a dog that is ill, injured, in distress, in late stage pregnancy or under the age of six months. It also prohibits the...

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17 March

Take Action Now – Ensure critical funding for WADDL

Cassie Isackson   |   Legislative

$38 million in funding is needed for Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (WADDL) at Washington State University to build modern facilities capable of conducting state- of-the-art experiments. This critical construction will allow the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (WADDL), which serves Washington State veterinarians with nearly 300,000 laboratory examinations annually, to improve its capacity and capability to serve animal owner’s and health care professionals throughout the state. This laboratory work provides critical support and consultation to guide veterinarians’ daily animal and...

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10 February

House Bill 1361 would legalize teeth floating by non-veterinarians

wsvma   |   Legislative, Uncategorized

House Bill (HB) 1361 was introduced this legislative session by Rep. Matt Mannweller (R-13) to eliminate certain occupational licensure and certification requirements and set up a consumer rating system as a means of oversight. Occupations included in the bill are animal massage therapists, fish game guides, auctioneers, landscape architects and manicurists. In addition, the bill includes “horse floaters” by making it an exemption to the practice of veterinary medicine, surgery and dentistry. The bill was heard in the House Business and...

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12 August

Primary election results indicate an unpredictable fall

wsvma   |   Legislative, Uncategorized

Washington’s primary election was held on Tuesday, August 2. All ballots needed to be posted or delivered to a collection center by 8pm August 2. Ballots submitted on Election Day can result in counting of ballots lasting as long as a week or more after Election Day. As of the evening of August 7, 1,357,000 votes have been counted, and another 60,000 still remained to be counted over the next few days. Turnout is now at 33% and could climb...

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22 July

Legislation aims to phase in revised federal overtime rule

wsvma   |   Legislative, Uncategorized

Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) introduced a bill in Congress last week titled the Overtime Reform and Enhancement Act (OREA), which would incrementally phase in the new salary threshold over the next three years rather than all at once on December 1, 2016. The bill would give employers more time to adjust to the new standard and ensure workers would still receive increases in compensation. It would also eliminate automatic updates to the salary threshold every three years, which is another...

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06 May

Political animals wanted

wsvma   |   Legislative, Uncategorized

Well, not really, but we are in need of members who share an interest in veterinary issues as they intersect with the legislative process. For those who have been living in a cave for the last 10 months, 2016 is an election year, and not just at the federal level. Elections for statewide offices are heating up as well. Members contribute money to the WSVMA-Political Action Committee (PAC) which is used to support candidates in the election that are friendly...

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22 April

Tell Congress to oppose mandatory prescription writing for veterinarians

wsvma   |   Legislative, Uncategorized

We need your help now! A congressional hearing has been scheduled for late April for The Fairness to Pet Owners Act (H.R. 3174), which was reintroduced in July 2015. The bill, championed by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), would require veterinarians to provide clients with written prescriptions for their pets regardless of whether the clients wish to fill the prescription at the clinic on site. Proponents of the bill claim veterinarians withhold prescriptions to increase profits. A May 2015 Federal Trade Commission report...

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25 March

Legislative Special Session Update

wsvma   |   Legislative, Uncategorized

The 30-day special session of the Washington State Legislature is now at day 16 and is scheduled to end April 8. Additional special sessions can be called by the Governor.  Most legislators are back home now, and the budget negotiators remain in Olympia. The favorite parlor game in Olympia is to predict when this special session will end.  There was considerable speculation earlier this week, that we would wrap up by today. However a resolution on the budget has eluded the...

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04 March

Bill passes to increase fees for monitoring program

wsvma   |   Legislative, Uncategorized

Passed by the Senate, House Bill (HB) 2432 is now on its way to the Governor for signature. HB 2432 increases the amount included in licensing fees paid by veterinarians for their participation in the substance abuse monitoring program through Washington Physicians’ Health Program (WPHP). The program is mandated by Washington’s Uniform Disciplinary Act to provide rehabilitation to health professionals whose competency may be impaired due to the use of alcohol or drugs, other behavioral health conditions such as bipolar...

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