BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2000
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 14, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
Cathleen Galgiani, Chair
AB 2000 (Hagman) - As Amended: April 5, 2010
SUBJECT : Rabies: vaccinations.
SUMMARY : Exempts dog owners from vaccinating a dog if a
licensed veterinarian (veterinarian) determines, annually, that
the dog's medical condition may worsen if given the canine
antirabies vaccine (CAV). Specifically, this bill:
1)Exempts dog owners from vaccinating a dog with the CAV if a
veterinarian determines, on a annual basis, that the dog is:
a) Currently immune compromised; or,
b) Has a documented medical record of a preexisting
condition, including but not limited to, an immune
medicated disease, or a serious adverse reaction to a prior
antirabies vaccine.
2)Requires requests for CAV exemptions to be from a veterinarian
on an approved form developed by the California Department of
Public Health (DPH), and requires a signed statement from the
dog's owner acknowledging and accepting all liability
associated with owing a dog that has not received the CAV.
Requires the exemption request to be filed with the
responsible local government, who may issue the CAV
exemptions.
3)Requires any dog granted a CAV exemption to be quarantined as
directed by the local health officer, until the dog's medical
condition is resolved and the administration of a CAV occurs.
4)Requires the responsible local government to report a CAV
exemption to DPH.
5)Exempts dog owners from antirabies vaccination requirements of
dog licenses if a dog has been exempted from a CAV and
provides that a dog license issued under this exemption is
valid for one year or less.
6)Makes technical changes.
AB 2000
Page 2
EXISTING LAW requires every dog owner to, once the dog is older
than four months, obtain a dog license from the responsible
local government at least every two years, and obtain a CAV
every year. Allows local governments to pass ordinances, for
the issuance of a dog license for a period not to exceed three
years for dogs older then 12 months that have been vaccinated
against rabies. The person to whom the license is issued may
choose a license period as established by the governing body,
except that the license shall not extend beyond the validity for
the current antirabies vaccination. (Health and Safety Code
Section (HSC) 121690)
FISCAL EFFECT : This bill is keyed fiscal by Legislative
Counsel.
COMMENTS : According to the author, this bill arose from an
incident in his district. A pet owner in Chino Hills, whose dog
is immune compromised, attempted to obtain an exemption from
CAV. A veterinarian determined that giving the dog a CAV "could
potentially be detrimental to her [the dog] health, and may
incite another recurrence of her [the dog] Immune-mediated
disease". The pet owner was denied an exemption by the Inland
Valley Humane Society (IVHS), Chino Hills' contactors for animal
control services. IVHS reviewed the case and did not find that
CAV would cause the dog to die. IVHS stated that granting the
exemption would open the agency and the city to litigation if
the dog contracted rabies and infected others.
Supporters state this bill is needed in order to put a dog's
health in the hands of veterinarians and dog owners, instead of
at the discretion of local health officers. Many supporters
cited issues with health compromised dogs and further health
problems associated with the CAV. Supporters also stated that
rabies have been effectively eradicated in the pet dog
population in California.
According to DPH's California's Compendium of Rabies Control and
Prevention, 2004, a local health officer may, upon a written
recommendation of a veterinarian, issue a rabies immunization
exemption where illness or veterinary medical condition in a dog
warrants. The exempted animal must be in strict rabies
isolation conditions, which are at the discretion of the local
health officer, until such time as the medical condition is
resolved and the animal can obtain a CAV.
AB 2000
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According to a 2004 rabies report from Texas Cooperative
Extension, more than 90% of all animal cases occur in wildlife;
before 1960, the majority of reported cases involved domestic
animals. The number of rabies-related human deaths in the
United States has declined from more than 100 annually in 1900
to one or two per year in the 1990s. The low rate of rabies
contraction in humans and domestic animals is due to animal
control measures, animal vaccination programs, and effective
pre-exposure and post-exposure disease treatment. In humans,
the Center for Disease Control recommends the course of
treatment for rabies consists of 4 doses postexposure vaccine,
even in cases where the person has immunosuppression health
issues.
Rabies is a viral disease that affects the central nervous
system that infects wild and domestic animals, as well as
humans. The virus is usually passed via the bite of a rabid
animal, but may be transmitted via saliva. In California,
domestic animals account for three percent of animal rabies, and
the rest occurs in wild animals. Provisional data from DPH
reports one case of rabies in a dog in the past 15 months.
In 1957, California passed the Rabies Control Act (former HSC
1920, Chapter 1781, Statutes of 1957) with the purpose of
controlling and eliminating rabies with animal control measures
and animal vaccination programs as an important element of the
law. Since that time, as supporters of this bill point out,
rabies has been effectively eradicated in the pet dog population
in California. The committee may wish to consider if this bill,
with limited CAV exemption, will affect public health policies
as they relate to rabies.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Golden Retriever Club
AB 2000
Page 4
Miniature Schnauzer Club
PetPac
Twelve individuals
Opposition
Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California
Analysis Prepared by : Victor Francovich / AGRI. / (916)
319-2084