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 Page 3 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