2021 LEGISLATIVE WRAP-UP

The CVMA legislative team had a successful year at the State Capitol despite the continuing challenges of the pandemic and the partial closure of the Capitol buildings to outside visitors. Several bills of particular importance to the veterinary profession were passed into law, while several others were paused in 2021 but are expected to be reintroduced in the next legislative session. The CVMA’s legislative team participated in numerous calls and virtual meetings with legislative staff and stakeholders and submitted position letters on various bills in order to make the voice of the veterinary profession heard. Below is a summary of the most important bills that the CVMA worked on this year.

AB 1282 (BLOOM) (COAUTHOR WILK): VETERINARY MEDICINE: BLOOD BANKS FOR ANIMALS.

This year, Assemblymember Bloom, along with Senator Wilk as a coauthor, introduced legislation that will phase out California’s two closed-colony blood banks and replace them with establishments that collect blood from community-sourced animals. The CVMA participated in stakeholder discussions on this issue to represent the needs of the veterinary profession in preserving a safe and adequate supply of blood and blood products. Specifically, the CVMA advocated for an expert advisory committee at the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to provide guidance resources to assist the veterinary profession with best practices for community blood banking. As a result of this request, the bill author and sponsors were able to successfully secure $1 million in the state budget for the CDFA to implement a community blood bank oversight program. In addition, the CVMA successfully collaborated with the bill author and sponsors to determine a transition plan that will minimize shortages in blood and blood product supplies.

CVMA Position: Approve

Bill Status: Chaptered into law on October 9, 2021

AB 1533 (ASSEMBLY BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS COMMITTEE)

CALIFORNIA BOARD OF PHARMACY: SUNSET REVIEW

The CVMA submitted comments to the Joint Sunset Review Committee regarding issues with the California Board of Pharmacy (BOP), primarily concerning veterinary compounding. One of the items raised in the CVMA’s comment letter was a request that at least one BOPappointed member be a compounding pharmacist. The CVMA’s request was successful, and that compositional requirement is being implemented accordingly. The CVMA will continue to advocate for the veterinary profession at both the legislature and the BOP to protect the ability of veterinarians to provide medications to animal patients.

CVMA Position: Watch, Work with Author

Bill Status: Chaptered into law on October 7, 2021

AB 1535 (ASSEMBLY BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS COMMITTEE)

VETERINARY MEDICAL BOARD: SUNSET REVIEW

The Assembly Business and Professions Committee and the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee periodically hold joint sunset oversight hearings to review boards under the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA). The sunset review process provides an opportunity for the DCA, the Legislature, the boards themselves, and interested parties and stakeholders to discuss the performance of the boards and make recommendations for improvements.

The Veterinary Medical Board (VMB) Sunset Review took place this year and the CVMA actively participated in stakeholder discussions and submitted two letters to the committee with comments on issues currently being addressed at and by the VMB.

Among the more significant items included in this year’s bill are the following:

• Discontinue the California State Veterinary Licensing Examination as a condition of licensure

• Revise and raise the statutory limits for license and permit fees, and lower registered veterinary technician fees

• Create a statutory exemption to premises registration with the VMB for animal shelters that perform the limited veterinary practices of vaccination, parasite control, and administering medications to individual animals pursuant to orders from a veterinarian with an established Veterinarian-ClientPatient Relationship for that animal

• Require registered veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants, and veterinary assistant controlled substance permit holders to wear name identification tags in at least 18-point type that include their license or permit numbers

• Expand the VMB’s scope of authority in relation to premises permits of practices owned by non-veterinarians and prohibit those non-veterinarian owners from interfering with, directing, or controlling the professional judgment of any veterinarian or registered veterinary technician

• Make falsely advertising as a specialist or board-certified practitioner subject to board discipline

CVMA Position: Watch, Work with Author

Bill Status: Chaptered into law on October 7, 2021

SB 547 (AB 132) (GLAZER) ANIMALS: EMERGENCY RESPONSE: CALIFORNIA VETERINARY EMERGENCY TEAM PROGRAM.

In the wake of the devastating Camp Fire in 2018, Senator Glazer saw the need for a veterinary emergency response team to help coordinate disaster response field operations as well as assist municipalities with animal emergency planning to mitigate animal suffering and community losses during California disasters. The CVMA was proud to support Senator Glazer’s effort to secure permanent funding from the state budget allocated to UC Davis to create the California Veterinary Emergency Team (CVET). This bill was incorporated into the AB 132 budget trailer bill to provide $3 million annually to UC Davis for the development and maintenance of CVET.

CVMA Position: Support

Bill Status: Chaptered into law as part of 2021 Budget Trailer Bill AB 132 on July 27, 2021

Legislation To Watch For 2022

HOUSE RESOLUTION (HR) 61 (LEE): VETERINARY MEDICINE

Introduced in mid-July, this resolution asks the California State Assembly to commit to “sensible and humane therapeutic veterinary procedures for companion animals” after making a series of declarations about veterinary surgeries and adding new definitions into the law. Typically, Assembly and Senate Resolutions are celebratory in nature. However, HR 61 adopts a different tone by implying that veterinarians are subjecting animals to unnecessary surgical procedures without any regard for the overarching health of the patient. As written, HR 61 bans “nontherapeutic” surgeries, a term that is defined in this resolution, but which includes preventative surgeries like elective gastropexy or laparoscopy that are beneficial to an animal’s care. While HR 61 does not include an explicit statement against cat declawing, the resolution’s sponsors have sponsored past legislation to prohibit declawing, and the CVMA believes this intent is driving HR 61, as well. The CVMA has submitted an opposition letter to the Author and key members of the legislature.

A COMPLETE LIST OF LEGISLATION FOLLOWED BY THE CVMA THIS YEAR MAY BE VIEWED ON THE NEXT PAGE, AND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT 2021 LEGISLATION IS AVAILABLE ON CVMA.NET IN THE GOVERNMENT SECTION.

CVMA Legal Services

Services offered:

• Business tax issues

• Business owner succession planning

• Cal/OSHA issues

• Contract issues

• Employment law

• Licensure issues

• Practice ownership and organizational structure

• Regulatory and administrative law

• Veterinary Medical Board enforcement issues

Services not included:

• Criminal law

• Domestic relations

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