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
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           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