The following State Legislative Update includes select summaries of bills and regulations tracked by AVMA Division of State Advocacy and introduced in December and January.
ENACTED
Prohibitions on breed-specific bans
A bill in Indiana (IN SB 18) would forbid any law or regulation from preventing an individual from owning, possessing, keeping, harboring, transporting, purchasing, or selling a breed-specific dog. Meanwhile, a bill in Missouri (MO HB 1657 / HB 1588 / SB 697) would prohibit villages, towns, and cities from regulating dogs in a breed-specific manner.
Prohibitions on declawing of cats
Both the District of Columbia (DCB24-0560) and Maryland (MD HB 22 / MD SB 67) will consider bills that would ban the declawing of cats.
Regulating pet insurance
In New York, NY S 7587 would establish a framework for regulating the pet insurance industry. The bill would not allow a policy to be issued if the policy excludes a pre-existing condition, a congenital anomaly or disorder, a hereditary disorder or a chronic condition. Exclusions from coverage other than these would be permissible if disclosed. The AVMA provided feedback to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Pet Insurance Working Group which has drafted a pet insurance model law. That draft is currently awaiting final approval by the NAIC.
Veterinarian-Client-Patient-Relationship regulations
Proposed regulatory revisions in Nevada (NV LCB File No. R***-21) would align regulations with the recently enacted NV AB 200. This includes defining a “physical examination” to mean a physically proximate and hands-on, subjective and objective evaluation of an animal’s health status through the use of observation, auscultation, palpation, percussion, or manipulation. The Nevada Veterinary Medical Association successfully championed the enactment of NV AB 200 earlier this year. physically proximate
Veterinary Technicians
In New Jersey, NJ A 6154 would reduce the number of credit hours for certain Animal Health Technicians from 18 hours to 12 hours and allow for an applicant with five years of experience in the field who does not meet all the educational requirements to substitute their experience for the totality of the education requirements.
Also in New Jersey, NJ S 4168 would regulate the practice of veterinary technicians. The bill would require applicants to submit satisfactory proof that they are qualified and would allow veterinary technicians, under the responsible supervision of a licensed veterinarian, to perform any task for which they have been trained as delineated in the American Veterinary Medical Association’s essential tasks list for veterinary technician teaching programs.
View State Legislation Chart.
For more information, please contact Mr. Cody Corcelius, Policy Analyst, AVMA Division of State Advocacy ([email protected]).
Posted January 21, 2022