BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2689
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 28, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Cameron Smyth, Chair
AB 2689 (Smyth) - As Amended: April 22, 2010
SUBJECT : Rabies vaccinations.
SUMMARY : Authorizes the responsible city, county, or city and
county in a designated rabies area to specify the means by which
a dog owner is required to provide proof of his or her dog's
rabies vaccination, including, but not limited to, by electronic
means or facsimile, and contains an urgency clause.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires the state Public Health Officer to designate rabies
areas.
2)Requires, in rabies areas, every dog owner after his or her
dog attains the age of four months to not more often than once
a year have his or her dog vaccinated against rabies by a
licensed veterinarian.
3)Makes a violation of these requirements an infraction.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS :
1)In 1957, California passed the original Rabies Control Act [SB
1231, 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.
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 through the bite of a
rabid animal, but may be transmitted via saliva. In
California, domestic animals account for three percent of
animal rabies, with the rest occurring in wild animals.
Provisional data from the Department of Public Health reports
one case of rabies in a dog in the past 15 months.
AB 2689
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The California Code of Regulations requires a current valid
official vaccination certificate in order for a dog owner to
receive a dog license. Vaccination certificates are required
to include, among other things, the signature of the
veterinarian administering the vaccine or a signature
authorized by him or her.
2)According to the author, AB 2689 seeks to remove the
antiquated administrative requirement for presentation of
written rabies certificates by allowing licensing agencies to
establish methods of verifying rabies vaccination using modern
communication and technology. The author says the written
documents forwarded by veterinarians and dog owners take a
variety of forms and can readily be falsified with modern
printers and computers. Because the legal
requirement is for written proof, the limited available
resources for follow-up and enforcement are focused on
obtaining written proof so that a dog license is valid, rather
than random auditing of information to confirm its validity.
The sponsor, City of Los Angeles, estimates there are well over
300,000 dogs in its jurisdiction, with only about 30%
licensed. The requirement that proof of rabies vaccination
can be only through a defined written certificate prevents use
of the Internet or other electronic means to improve licensing
rates. Even though the City of Los Angeles has created an
online application for licensing, the process is not helpful
to dog owners because they cannot obtain a new license or
renew an existing license if the rabies paperwork is expired,
which requires mailing a separate written form. Tracking
separately mailed forms leads to delays and inefficiencies.
The sponsor says that, for dog owners, it burdens the process,
making noncompliance an attractive choice. According to the
sponsor, a portion of licensing revenue is used to fund spay
and neuter subsidy programs, which help to reduce pet
overpopulation and thereby bring down the cost of animal
control programs in the long term.
3)Support Arguments : Supporters, The English Shepherd Club and
The Humane Society of the United States, say measures that
facilitate easier dog licensing increase the number of
licensed dogs. Save Our Dogs says AB 2689 also will increase
return-to-owner rate for dogs picked up as strays and decrease
AB 2689
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the number of dogs euthanized in animal shelters. Actors and
Others for Animals write that, today one can do almost any
business over the Internet, so allowing municipalities to
provide an easy and convenient way to provide dog vaccination
certificates makes sense and will increase fee revenue.
Opposition Arguments : The opposition might say the system of
submitting a rabies vaccination certificate with an original
signature prevents fraud and ensures dogs are getting the
proper vaccination.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
City of Los Angeles [SPONSOR]
Actors and Others for Animals
Animal Issues Movement
Antelope Valley Kennel Club Inc.
CA Federation of Dog Clubs
Concerned Dog Owners of CA
The English Shepherd Club
The Humane Society of the United States
Save Our Dogs
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Jennifer R. Klein / L. GOV. / (916)
319-3958