BILL ANALYSIS Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary Senator Tom Torlakson, Chairman 1584 (Padilla) Hearing Date: 4/28/08 Amended: As Introduced Consultant: Bob Franzoia Policy Vote: B,P&ED 5-3 _________________________________________________________________ ____ BILL SUMMARY: SB 1584, relating to veterinary medicine, would do the following: - Require a registered veterinary technician to notify the Veterinary Medical Board (VMB) of a change of address and impose a penalty of $25 for the failure to do so. - Delete the authorization for the VMB to make a charge for official documents and instead provide that any charge for duplication or other services be set at the cost of rendering the service, which is consistent with other provisions of the Veterinary Medical Practice Act, except as provided. - Increase the maximum amounts that the VMB may set for other fees and delete the existing provision requiring the VMB to set and collect the fee for the national licensing examination. - Require that a school or institution seeking approval of a registered veterinary technician curriculum pay an application fee not to exceed $300 and to pay the actual costs of board inspection. By increasing the source of funds for a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation. _________________________________________________________________ ____ Fiscal Impact (in thousands) Major Provisions 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 Fund Fee revisions $218 $436 $436 Special* (revenues) * Veterinary Medical Board Contingent Fund _________________________________________________________________ ____ STAFF COMMENTS: The VMB licenses and regulates approximately 17,000 licensees including, 9,800 veterinarians, 4,200 registered veterinary technicians, and 2,600 veterinary hospitals. The VMB has not requested a statutory fee increase since 1992. --------------------------------------------------- |Year | | | | | 2007-08* | | |2005-06 | |2006-07 | | | |----------+----------+-+-----------+-+-------------| |Revenue |$1,671,580| |$1,818,789 | |$1,970,000 | | | | | | | | |----------+----------+-+-----------+-+-------------| |Expenditur|$1,764,000| |$2,142,000 | |$2,206,000 | |es | | | | | | |----------+----------+-+-----------+-+-------------| |Shortfall | | | | | | | |<$92,420> | |<$323,211> | |<$236,000> | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------- VMB Three Year Budget Summary * Projected Business and Professions Code 4905 generally requires the VMB Contingent Fund to maintain a reserve of not less than three months and not more than 10 months of annual board expenditures. This bill would increase and revise existing fees and add one new fee for the failure to report an address change. These increases would eliminate the subsidy of the registered veterinary technician exam by veterinarian licensing fees and provide a reserve 1.2 months higher that the statutory minimum. Absent these increases, it is estimated the VMB will have a negative fund balance by 2011-12.