BILL ANALYSIS SB 986 Page 1 SENATE THIRD READING SB 986 (Ridley-Thomas) As Amended June 9, 2008 Majority vote SENATE VOTE :34-1 BUSINESS & PROFESSIONS 10-0 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Ayes:|Eng, Emmerson, Carter, | | | | |Hayashi, Hernandez, | | | | |Horton, Maze, Price, | | | | |Torrico, De Leon | | | |-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------| | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY : Revises the guidelines by which a pet store operator or employee may euthanize rodents and rabbits intended as food for another animal, as specified. Specifically, this bill : 1)Specifies that a rodent or rabbit intended as food for another animal may be destroyed by a pet store operator or an employee of a pet store only if the animal is euthanized by a method that is performed in a humane manner, appropriate for the species, authorized by state law, and in compliance with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Guidelines on Euthanasia dated June 2007. 2)Specifies that the euthanasia shall be performed by the pet store operator or employee only if a California-licensed veterinarian has certified in writing, as specified, that the pet store operator or employee is properly trained and proficient in performing euthanasia on that particular species. 3)Specifies that it is the responsibility of the pet store operator to ensure that euthanasia is performed in compliance with this bill. 4)Excludes from the definition of "pet store" a retail establishment directly related to an agricultural operation for the commercial growing and harvesting of crops or the raising of livestock or poultry on a farm or a ranch. SB 986 Page 2 EXISTING LAW : 1)Establishes the Pet Store Animal Care Act (Act), which regulates the care and maintenance of animals in the custody of a pet store, and provides limits on the sale or transfer of those animals. 2)Permits euthanasia of an animal intended as food for another animal using humane methods, as specified in the AVMA 2000 Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia. 3)Specifies that each employee who performs euthanasia shall receive adequate training and proof of successful completion of such training shall be documented in writing and retained by the pet store, as specified. 4)Provides for the licensing of veterinarians by the Veterinary Medical Board under the Department of Consumer Affairs. FISCAL EFFECT : This bill is keyed non-fiscal. COMMENTS : According to the author, "SB 986 is a minor clean-up bill of last year's AB 1347 (Caballero), which was signed into law last year by the Governor, but does not go into affect until January 1, 2009....This bill makes two minor technical changes in the Act. "First, SB 986 addresses a request made by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to ensure that agricultural establishments are not considered pet stores for purposes of the new Act. AB 1347 included that exemption in 'intent' language, but did not include that agricultural exclusion in the text of the law itself. As a condition of CDFA's support for signature of the bill, CDFA requested that the agricultural exclusion language be placed in the substantive text of the law itself. SB 986 takes care of that issue in the way that 'pet store' is defined in the new bill. "Second, the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), the animal groups (Animal Protection Institute, State Human Association of California, the California Animal Care Director's Association) and other animal protection groups, as well as PIJAC [Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council], all worked in favor SB 986 Page 3 of AB 1347 in its final version of last year. This year all of the supporters realized that the euthanasia section of the bill was ambiguous and contained technical language that needed to be clarified and slightly changed in the best interest of animal care in pet stores before the bill goes into effect in January 2009." Established in 1863, the AVMA is a not-for-profit association representing more than 76,000 veterinarians working in private and corporate practice, government, industry, academia, and uniformed services. The AVMA is fully committed to the concept that, whenever it becomes necessary to kill any animal for any reason whatsoever, death should be induced as painlessly and quickly as possible. In 2006, the AVMA convened a panel of scientists to produce the "AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia". These guidelines summarize contemporary scientific knowledge on euthanasia in animals and call attention to the lack of scientific reports assessing pain, discomfort, and distress in animals being euthanized, and are intended for use by members of the veterinary profession who carry out or oversee the euthanasia of animals. They also include instructions on proper euthanasia techniques. Analysis Prepared by : Rebecca May / B. & P. / (916) 319-3301 FN: 0005590