BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                           Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair

                                           2000 (Hagman)
          
          Hearing Date:  8/2/2010         Amended: 7/15/2010
          Consultant: Katie Johnson       Policy Vote: Health 8-0
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          BILL SUMMARY:  AB 2000 would exempt a dog from the rabies  
          vaccination requirement if a licensed veterinarian determines,  
          on an annual basis, that a rabies vaccination would endanger the  
          dog's life. 
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                            Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

           Major Provisions         2010-11      2011-12       2012-13     Fund
                                                                  
          CDPH staff for                  $40          $80  $0   General
          regulations amendment
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          ____

          STAFF COMMENTS: This bill meets the criteria for referral to the  
          Suspense File.

          Currently, a dog must be licensed by a local enforcement agency  
          biennially and may not exceed a period of three years in between  
          licenses. Dogs must receive a rabies vaccination not more often  
          than once annually and at least once every three years. It  
          appears that some local jurisdictions are granting exemptions as  
          part of their local rabies control programs, but there exists no  
          statewide policy on exemptions from the rabies vaccination.

          This bill would require the California Department of Public  
          Health (CDPH) to develop an exemption form from rabies  
          vaccination for veterinarians. The owner of the exempted dog  
          would be required to sign a statement that would affirm that the  
          owner understands the consequences and accepts all liability  
          associated with owning a dog that has not received the rabies  
          vaccination. If a local health officer grants an exemption, this  
          bill would also require the local health officer to report  
          exemptions to CDPH and would permit the local health officer to  
          set restrictions on the exposure of the unvaccinated dog to the  
          public. This bill would also prohibit the license period from  










          extending beyond one year in the event that a dog receives a  
          rabies vaccination exemption. In 2009, there were 1.9 million  
          dogs licensed in California. 

          Costs to CDPH to update its regulations related to canine rabies  
          vaccinations would be $40,000 General Fund in FY 2010-2011 and  
          $80,000 General Fund in FY 2011-2012. Costs related to develop  
          the exemption form as well as ongoing costs to accept the  
          reported exemptions would be minor and absorbable.