BILL ANALYSIS Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair 107 (Galgiani) Hearing Date: 6/29/2009 Amended: 6/1/2009 Consultant: Bob Franzoia Policy Vote: B,P&ED 7-0 _________________________________________________________________ ____ BILL SUMMARY: AB 107 would modify the examination requirements for registration as a veterinary technician on and after January 1, 2011, to require that an applicant for registration pass both a national licensing examination and an examination specific to the animal health care tasks limited to California registered veterinary technicians, as approved by the Veterinary Medical Board (VMB). This bill would authorize the VMB to assess fines on, issue citations, and place on probation, a registered veterinary technician who violates the Veterinary Medicine Practice Act and make provisions of the act relative to revocation and reinstatement of licenses applicable to veterinary technician registrations. This bill would require that the VMB exam for licensure as a veterinarian be given at least twice a year, require the VMB to waive the exam requirement and issue a license to an applicant if he or she meets certain requirements and would revise the requirements for issuance of a temporary license to practice veterinary medicine. Because fees for the reinstatement of a revoked veterinary technician registration collected by the VMB would be deposited in the Veterinary Medical Board Contingent Fund, which is a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation. _________________________________________________________________ ____ Fiscal Impact (in thousands) Major Provisions 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Fund Veterinarian exam and $110 $68 $68 Special* licensing revisions (revenue) ($25) ($25) ($50) Special** * Veterinary Medical Board Contingent Fund (VMBCF) ** VMBCF - $50 annually, ongoing from an increase in licensure of out-of-state veterinarians _________________________________________________________________ ____ STAFF COMMENTS: Currently, the Governor appoints four members of the VMB and the Senate and Assembly each appoint a public member. Under this bill, the Governor would appoint five members, with one being a public member. The Senate and Assembly appointment criteria would not change. This bill would require the VMB to waive examination requirements and issue a temporary license to an applicant who (1) has either graduated from a veterinary college recognized by the VMB or possesses a certificate issued by a specified commission or by the Program for Assessment of Educational Equivalence and, (2) within three years immediately preceding filing and application, has practiced clinical veterinary medicine Page 2 AB 107 (Galgiani) for a minimum of two years and completed a minimum of 2,944 hours of clinical practice. It is estimated the provisions of this bill will increase by 100 the number of veterinary licenses issued annually. Chapter 529/2008 (SB 1584, Padilla) increased the maximum amounts the VMB may set for specified fees. (The VMB must adopt regulations in order to increase a fee to a statutory cap.) Chapter 529/2008 also deleted the requirement that the VMB set and collect a fee for the national licensing examination, and required an application fee to be paid by a school or institution seeking approval of registered veterinary technician curriculum. These provisions addressed potential revenue shortfall problems with the VMBCF. This bill is similar to AB 1760 (Galgiani) 2008 which was vetoed with the following message: The historic delay in passing the 2008-09 State Budget has forced me to prioritize the bills sent to my desk at the end of the year's legislative session. Given the delay, I am only signing bills that are the highest priority for California. This bill does not meet that standard and I cannot sign it at this time. This bill differs in that it would modify the examination requirements for registration as a veterinary technician on and after January 1, 2011, to instead require that an applicant pass both a national licensing examination and an examination formatted for California veterinary technicians.