Legislative

26 July

A proliferation of legislation focused on professional certification and licensure across the states

wsvma   |   Legislative

To help protect veterinary medicine from harmful legislation, the AVMA is actively engaged with national coalitions focused on professional certification and licensure legislation at both the federal and state levels. As needed, the AVMA acts on Capitol Hill and weighs in when requested by our partners in the states. While veterinary medicine is just one of the 60 occupations licensed in every state, and veterinary technologists and technicians are licensed in at least 30 states, there are 1,100 occupations licensed by...

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17 May

Modernizing the Livestock Inspection Program – New law for WSDA’s brand program goes into effect this summer

wsvma   |   Legislative

In April, Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation intended to restore financial solvency to our Livestock Inspection Program (LID). The program, which has roots dating back to the 1860s, is entirely funded by fees paid by the livestock industry and receives no state general fund dollars. But in recent years, the program has been in financial crisis. The inspection fees it relies on are set in statute and had not been adjusted since 2006. Over time, rising costs outpaced fee revenue. The livestock industry...

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10 May

New opioid bill signed into law

wsvma   |   Legislative

A sweeping new opioid bill passed the Legislature and was signed by the Governor on May 8. The legislation outlines a comprehensive, statewide approach to treating and preventing opioid use disorder by addressing prevention, education, treatment and swift responses to overdoses. SSB 5380 modifies the protocols for using medications to treat opioid use disorder and requires prescribers to counsel patients on the risks of opioids. The legislation also establishes new reporting requirements for the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) and extends...

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03 May

2019 Washington State Legislature adjourns Sine Die – B&O tax increased

wsvma   |   Legislative

The Washington State Legislature adjourned, on time, at midnight Sunday April 28, after passing a number of policy and tax bills in the final hours. This was the first on-time adjournment of a budget session in years. State spending will increase by nearly $8 billion from the previous two-year budget. The 17.5% increase in state spending is one of the largest increases in the last 25 years and comes on the heels of double-digit growth in the previous two budgets. The overall...

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26 April

Success! WSVMA’s HEAL-WA legislation signed by the Governor: Members to have access to extensive online resource library

wsvma   |   Legislative

Veterinarians in private practice generally don’t have access to large collections of journals similar to human physicians and as a result, they rely on textbooks, conferences and online discussion forums like VIN for new information. Well, all that’s about to change. Today at 11 am, Governor Jay Inslee signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 5000, WSVMA’s legislation to add veterinarians and veterinary technicians to the HEAL-WA online resource library for Washington’s health professionals. HEAL-WA is the affordable online database of current,...

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26 April

Bill regulating non-compete agreements passed by WA legislature, awaits Governor’s signature

wsvma   |   Legislative

  A bill passed the Washington Legislature last week that will impose significant new restrictions on non-compete agreements between employers and employees. Governor Inslee is expected to sign the bill in the coming weeks. Non-competition covenants against employees will potentially be void in the state of Washington unless certain standards are met. The following restrictions are included in the legislation: Employers must disclose terms of non-compete agreements in writing no later than the employment offer’s acceptance, and if enforceable later due to...

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26 April

Veterinary Services at humane societies bill signed into law

wsvma   |   Legislative

Governor Jay Inslee signed into law today Senate Bill (SB) 5004, legislation that grants humane societies and animal control agencies the ability to provide full veterinary services to low-income pet owners. Passage of the bill followed a year-long process of meetings between WSVMA and bill proponents from Southwest Humane Society in Vancouver and the Washington Federation of Animal Care and Control Agencies. WSVMA supported the legislation. In addition to granting shelter organizations the ability to provide full veterinary services, the legislation...

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22 February

Frequently asked questions about the humane society legislation

wsvma   |   Legislative

The Humane Society legislation from 2018 has been amended and is back before the legislature for consideration. Senate Bill (SB) 5004, if passed, will allow humane societies to provide full veterinary services to low income pet owners. During the 2018 legislative session, the WSVMA asked the Senate Healthcare Committee to not act on the bill so that the WSVMA could hear from our members and have the opportunity to meet with the bill proponents. The Committee agreed as long as we...

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08 February

Veterinary Board of Governors to examine barrier to licensure

wsvma   |   Legislative

The Veterinary Board of Governors (board) is considering rulemaking to remove unnecessary barriers to licensure. The board has observed that veterinarians from other states who apply in Washington State occasionally face unnecessary barriers to licensure. As required by WAC 246-933-250(1), licensees must "successfully complete either the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE), or the National Board Examination for Veterinary Medical Licensing (NBE), with the Clinical Competency Test (CCT)". However, the CCT was not required prior to 1982. Applicants who took their...

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18 January

2019 Washington legislative session underway

wsvma   |   Legislative

The 2019 Washington State Legislature convened on Monday, January 14 for a scheduled 105-day legislative session. In contrast to most budget year sessions, where the legislative committees tend to focus the first week on committee subject matter introduction and background reports, this year the committees began the week hearing substantive issues related to climate, tax policy, education policy and other major issues. On Tuesday, Governor Inslee presented his State of the State address outlining his priorities for the 2019 session.  Much...

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