BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1760
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 1760 (Galgiani)
As Amended August 14, 2008
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |75-0 |(April 14, |SENATE: |37-0 |(August 20, |
| | |2008) | | |2008) |
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Original Committee Reference: B. & P.
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.
The Senate amendments :
1)Delete provisions of the bill referring to "unregistered"
persons.
2)Make specified sections of this bill contingent on the
enactment of Senate Bill 1584 (Padilla).
3)Double-joints these provisions with Senate Bill 1584
(Padilla).
4)Make various technical and clarifying 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.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill was substantially similar
to the version passed by the Senate.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Committee analysis:
1)Requires the board to waive examination requirements and issue
a temporary license to an applicant who: a) has either
graduated from a veterinary college recognized by the Board or
possesses a certificate issued by a specified commission or by
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the Program for Assessment of Educational Equivalence; and, b)
within three years immediately preceding filing and
application, has practiced clinical veterinary medicine for a
minimum of two years and completed a minimum of 2,944 hours of
clinical practice.
2)Beginning 2008-09, the Veterinary Medial Board Contingent Fund
(VMBCF) will have a reserve of $781,000, equal to 3.7 months
of operation. By 2011-12, the VMBCF reserve will be negative.
(Business and Professions Code 4905 (m) requires that the
VMBCF reserve shall not be less than three months nor more
than 10 months of annual authorized board expenditures.) This
bill, which will impose new licensing and enforcement workload
associated with issuing an estimated 100 new temporary
veterinary licenses annually, will exacerbate Board revenue
problems.
3)Under Business and Professions Code 4905 (d), the fee for the
Veterinary Medicine Practice Act exam, which is set by
regulation in an amount the Board determines reasonably
necessary to provide sufficient funding, is capped at $50.
The fee, which was set at $35, was increased in October 2007
to the cap. Under subdivision (g) of the same section, the
fee for a temporary license is capped at $125.
4)The increased costs associated with offering more Veterinary
Medicine Practice Act exams and processing more temporary
licenses will further deplete the VMBCF reserve. Staff
recommends the bill be amended to make it contingent on the
passage of SB 1584 (Padilla) which would allow an increase in
the maximum amounts that the board may set for certain
specified fees. (SB 1584 (Padilla) would also delete the
provision of law requiring the board to set and collect a fee
for the national licensing exam, and would require an
application fee to be paid by a school or institution seeking
approval of registered veterinary technician curriculum.)
Absent that contingency, this bill, if chaptered, would
exacerbate the board's revenue problems if the fee increases
in SB 1584 are not enacted.
5)TheBoard must adopt regulations in order to increase a fee to
a statutory cap.
COMMENTS : 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
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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."
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 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.
Analysis Prepared by : Josefina Ramirez / B. & P. / (916)
319-3301
FN: 0007176