2020 FVMA LEGISLATIVE By Richard B. Williams, DVM | FVMA Legislative Chair At the end of the 2020 Florida legislative session, the number of bills that passed both chambers was near a multi-decade low. By all reports, this is a byproduct of an intentional effort to reduce the volume of legislation that passes the Legislature. This year, the FVMA actively monitored almost 40 bills with two taking priority. 1. The FVMA’s priority bill SB 366 / HB 1015 was meant to address deficiencies in the Practice Act concerning the definition of the VCPR. It was introduced in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. 2. SB 1044 / HB 621 (Allie’s Law) was an animal cruelty bill. Both bills failed to pass during the legislative session. The FVMA’s priority bill has been brought before the state legislature over the last several years. The intention of the bill is to introduce language into the Practice Act, which would strengthen the definition of the VCPR and establish a definition of the physical examination. Over the years, House leadership has repeatedly refused to allow the bill to move forward. Prevailing feedback to the FVMA is that House leaders believe the FVMA bill could be restrictive to unregulated telemedicine, which they are in favor of. Allie's Law, SB 1044 / HB 621, was strongly opposed by the FVMA as originally written. The bill is an anti-animal cruelty bill involving only dogs and cats. It was presented to us as a simple bill that every veterinarian in the state should support and had many co-sponsors in both the House and Senate. Unfortunately, Allie’s Law was not as simple as it seems. We found it to be a bill that required mandatory reporting of animal cruelty, without reporter protection for the veterinarian. It also required reporting without direct knowledge of the actual abuse, or that the veterinarian contact the individuals suspected of abuse
During our 2020 Legislative Action days, FVMA delegates met with key legislators, including Representative Wengay "Newt" Newton (D -District 70) of St. Petersburg, Florida. Pictured left to right: Drs. Rachel Klemawesch, Don Howell, Don Morgan; Rep. Newton; Drs. Brooke Certa and Daniel Jones.
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and require them to have their pet be examined within 24 hours. The FVMA felt such a scenario could potentially place veterinarians and their staff in a dangerous situation. That was not something we could support for the veterinarians of Florida. The FVMA also paid close attention to SB 48, the "Declaw Bill," which was introduced in the Senate without a companion bill in the House. SB 48 did not advance beyond its introduction. The FVMA’s position on declawing is identical to the AVMA’s revised policy. While the declawing of cats should be discouraged as an elective procedure, the AVMA and FVMA “acknowledge the veterinarian’s right to use professional judgement when deciding how to best protect their individual patients’ health and welfare.” The 2020 Florida Legislative Session concluded with 210 bills passed. Florida’s 2021 Legislative Session commences on March 2, 2021, and will remain in session for 60 days. As the legislative session commenced, the FVMA hosted a 40 member delegation of veterinarians, students of UFCVM, and FVMA leadership in Tallahassee for Legislative Action Days. This annual event is an integral aspect of the FVMA’s advocacy program as it places the association face-to-face with state senators and representatives. This gives the FVMA a chance to discuss the association’s legislative priorities and to advocate on behalf of the veterinary profession, animal health and well-being, and public health. We thank all members who joined us in Tallahassee at this year’s Legislative Action Days. If you’d like to learn how you can become involved next year, visit the FVMA website or email info@fvma.org.
