BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1760
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 9, 2008
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mark Leno, Chair
AB 1760 (Galgiani) - As Amended: March 24, 2008
Policy Committee: Business and
Professions Vote: 9 - 0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill makes various changes to the Veterinary Medicine
Practice Act and the Veterinary Medical Board (VMB), which
governs veterinarians practicing in California. Specifically,
this bill:
1)Requires the governor to appoint one public member to the VMB.
2)Requires the VMB to waive the examinations requirements for
out-of-state veterinarians who wish to practice in California
and meet certain requirements.
3)Requires the VMB to offer a licensing examination at least
twice a year.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)This bill would increase licensing revenue by approximately
$25,000 in the first year, $50,000 in the second year and
continuing to grow by $25,000 a year as 100 new veterinarians
are licensed each year.
2)Costs associated with computer programming changes and
workload increases would be approximately $85,000 for 2008-09
with an on-going annual cost of $70,000.
3)The Department of Consumer Affairs estimates this will result
in an increase of 100 veterinarians in California each year.
Currently, approximately 12% of veterinarians treat farm
animals. If the purpose of this bill is to attract more
AB 1760
Page 2
agricultural veterinarians, this legislation would result in
12 more of these veterinarians in the state each year with a
net annual cost of $3,750 per newly licensed agricultural
veterinarian.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . This bill is primarily designed to increase the
number of veterinarians and veterinary technicians who treat
farm animals in California. The sponsors, the Western United
Dairymen (WUD), note that there is a lack of agricultural
veterinarians in California and it is adversely impacting the
dairy industry. They believe that the shortages are not only
due to a decline in the number of graduates, but also because
there are no incentives for large animal/agricultural
veterinarians to practice in California.
According to the California Veterinary Medical Association
(CVMA), there are approximately 7,500 veterinarians in
California and 222 graduate from veterinary schools in the
state each year. The author notes that in order to combat the
shortage of agricultural veterinarians it is critical that the
state find a way to keep veterinarians who graduate from
California's veterinary schools, and to attract veterinarians
from other states.
This bill provides a modest incentive for veterinarians by
requiring the VMB to offer the licensing exam more often and
by waiving examination requirements for out-of-state
veterinarians who wish to relocate to California. However,
these incentives are not specifically targeted to agricultural
veterinarians, they are available to all veterinarians wishing
to practice in the state.
2)Large-Animal Veterinarian Shortage . The nation is currently
facing a shortage of large-animal veterinarians who treat farm
animals. According to recent studies conducted for the
American Veterinary Medical Association, it is expected that
the demand for "food supply" (agricultural) veterinarians will
increase by as much as 14 percent by 2016 and that at the same
time the nation will have an ongoing decrease of 4 to 5
percent annually in the number of veterinarians willing to
treat farm animals.
Most veterinarians gravitate toward treating small animals for
AB 1760
Page 3
various reasons. Primarily, small animal veterinarians
generally make more money from pet owners that are willing to
pay for expensive treatments for sick or injured animals.
Ranchers, on the other hand, will tend to choose to slaughter
a sick or injured animal rather than invest in costly
veterinary care. For veterinarians with large student loans,
the ability to make a larger income to pay off those loans
could become a necessity. In addition to the higher earning
potential, working with small animals can be less physically
demanding for a veterinary. Treating animals that weigh over
1,000 pounds day in and day out can take a significant toll on
a veterinarian's health.
The shortage could directly affect the safety of the nation's
food supply because it is veterinarians that are responsible
for monitoring the health of the livestock. The recent recall
of 143 million pounds of beef from the Hallmark/Weston Meat
Packing Company in San Bernardino County has greatly increased
the awareness of the vulnerability of the food supply and the
need for increased oversight and for more veterinarians
willing to provide care for these animals.
3)Other States' Legislation . Currently, 8 states (including Ohio
and Pennsylvania) are attempting to address the shortage of
agricultural veterinarians by offering student loan
forgiveness programs and eight other states are considering
similar legislation.
Analysis Prepared by : Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)
319-2081