BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1760
Page A
Date of Hearing: March 11, 2008
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS
Mike Eng, Chair
AB 1760 (Galgiani) - As Amended: March 5, 2008
SUBJECT : Veterinarians and registered veterinary technicians.
SUMMARY : Requires the California Veterinary Medical Board
(Board) to offer the veterinary licensing exam at least twice a
year and makes other changes related to the licensure and
regulation of veterinary professionals. Specifically, this
bill :
1)Clarifies that the Governor appoints one public member to the
Board.
2)Requires the Board to issue certificates of registration.
3)Delineates reciprocity requirements, and requires the Board to
issue licenses to applicants who fulfill such requirements.
This bill also allows applicants to use certificates issued by
the Program for Assessment of Education Equivalence to fulfill
reciprocity requirements.
4)Requires the Board to issue temporary licenses to eligible
applicants who meet specified requirements and agree to
complete the approved educational curriculum on regionally
specific and important diseases and conditions in California.
5)Allows the Board to extend the expiration date of temporary
licenses.
6)Makes various technical and conforming amendments.
EXISTING LAW provides for the licensure and regulation of the
practice of veterinary medicine by the Board. Requires the
Board to ascertain by means of examination given at least once
each year, the professional qualifications of applicants for
licensure and to issue a license to every qualified applicant.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS :
AB 1760
Page B
Purpose of this bill . According to the author: "It doesn't make
sense that we would spend California tax dollars to educate
veterinarians in our state universities, only to have them leave
California to practice in another state because it takes too
long to get a license in California. We need to ensure that
taxpayer dollars are educating California's future workforce,
and that we are able to meet the veterinary needs of our
agricultural industry. AB 1760 will ensure that the licensing
test is offered at least twice a year, as well as, change the
reciprocity standards for veterinarians educated outside of
California; helping California meet the high demands of
veterinarians in our state."
Background . This bill is sponsored by the Western United
Dairyman and seeks to address the current veterinarian shortage
in California, especially in regards to the farming community.
According to the California Veterinary Medical Association
(CVMA), there are approximately 7,500 veterinarians in
California and 222 graduate from veterinary school each year.
According to a November 2004 report by the University of
California Subcommittee on Veterinary Medical Education, the
current national shortfall of at least 1,500 veterinarians could
grow to 15,000 or more over the next 20 years. The author's
office notes that the current lack of licensed veterinarians has
a direct effect on the safety of our food supply, and cites an
American Veterinary Medical Association Study stating that the
demand for "food supply veterinarians" (farm animal
veterinarians) is predicted to increase 12 to 13 percent over
the next eight years. This research also shows that there will
most likely be a four to five percent decrease of these types of
veterinarians obtaining jobs in our agricultural and farming
communities because of the shortage of veterinarians in this
state.
Suggested amendment . This bill proposes a technical clean-up of
current statute by inserting the language "and one public
member" into Business and Professions Code Section 4802. The
committee may wish to recommend the following clarifying
technical amendment:
On page 3, strike line 6-7 inclusive, and insert:
"The Governor shall appoint the five members qualified as
provided in Section 4801, one of whom shall be a public member.
The Senate?"
AB 1760
Page C
Support . The Western United Dairymen write: "The dairy industry
is in short supply of 'large animal' veterinarians?Our
membership believes the overall shortage is due not only to the
lack of graduates, but lack of incentives for graduates to enter
the veterinarian medical field. AB 1760 provides an 'incentive'
for graduates to test and license in California, and hopefully,
to stay and practice here."
The California Farm Bureau Federation states: "The Farm Bureau
supports AB 1760 to help alleviate the shortage of large animal
veterinarians in California. California's livestock producers
rely on veterinarians for preventive herd health medicine and
offer treatment of sick and injured livestock. Veterinarians
not only handle diseases that affect our animals, but are also
important to the diseases that are transferable between humans
and animals. There is a growing shortage of veterinarians in
production, agriculture, academia, and regulatory medicine
throughout the United States and the Farm Bureau believes that
this bill can be a piece towards helping solve the growing
shortage of veterinarians."
Previous Legislation . SB 2003 (Knight), Chapter 1070, Statutes
of 1998, required the Board to issue temporary licenses to
practice veterinary medicine, changed requirements for testing
of applicants, required and authorized the Board to set and
appropriate the examination and license fees, and created a
one-year temporary license for qualifying internship or
residency programs.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Western United Dairymen (sponsor)
California Cattlemen's Association
California Farm Bureau Federation
California Veterinary Medical Board
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Josefina Ramirez / B. & P. / (916)
319-3301
AB 1760
Page D