BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1709
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 12, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 1709 (Conway) - As Amended: May 5, 2010
Policy Committee: AgricultureVote:8
- 0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
Yes Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill deletes the current veterinary biologics licensing law
and replaces it with licensing requirements for animal blood
banks. Specifically, this bill:
1)Replaces the existing state veterinary biologics licensing
program with licensing requirements for businesses handling
animal blood and blood products.
2)Prohibits a person from engaging in the production of
biologics unless they have a valid permit or license from the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
3)Requires the California Department of Food and Agriculture
(CDFA) to submit to the Legislature by June 1, 2011, a report
on the status of the transition of biologics licenses to the
federal government. In addition, requires CDFA to report
annually on the transition until all state licensed biologics
businesses have transitioned to the federal license.
4)States that this act will not become operative until all
California registered biologics businesses have transferred to
the federal license.
FISCAL EFFECT
Eliminating this program will result in cost avoidance for CDFA
of approximately $450,000 per year.
COMMENTS
AB 1709
Page 2
1)Rationale . California is the only state that provides
veterinary biologic licenses. All other states rely on the
federal licensing program. This bill would eliminate
California's biologic license program, which allowed the state
to have an exemption from USDA authority over biologics, and
would instead require that businesses dealing with veterinary
biologics in the state receive federal certification.
According to the sponsor, CDFA, a recent USDA audit of the
state's current program found that funding shortfalls have
jeopardized CDFA's ability to perform the needed specialty
training, laboratory testing, and regulatory enforcement
activities, to ensure the consumers that these products meet
the requirements of being pure, safe, potent and efficacious.
In order to comply with federal requirements, CDFA would need
to increase their oversight in this program.
2)Veterinary Biologics . Veterinary biologics are vaccines,
antigens, antitoxins and other preparations made from living
organisms (or genetically engineered living organisms) and
intended for use in diagnosing, treating, or immunizing
animals. Veterinary biologics are used to protect or diagnose
disease in a variety of animals, including farm animals,
household pets, poultry, and fish. Most biologics leave no
chemical residues in animals, unlike some pharmaceutical
products. The USDA has found that most disease organisms do
not develop resistance to the immune response produced by a
veterinary biologic.
Analysis Prepared by : Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)
319-2081