BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 258
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 4, 2011

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                 AB 258 (Hagman) - As Introduced:  February 7, 2011 

          Policy Committee:                              AgricultureVote:9 
          - 0 

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          Yes    Reimbursable:              Yes

           SUMMARY  

          This bill exempts from vaccination requirements a dog that a 
          licensed veterinarian determines has a compromised immune system 
          or pre-existing condition that renders the vaccine dangerous to 
          the animal's health. Specifically, this bill: 

          1)Requires the Department of Public Health (DPH) to develop a 
            standardized form for the request for an exemption.

          2)Allows a local health officer to quarantine a dog that is 
            exempt from the canine anti-rabies vaccination until the 
            medical condition has resolved itself. 

          3)Requires the responsible city or county to report all 
            exemptions issued to DPH. 

          4)Limits the license period for an exempt dog to one year. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          DPH costs of approximately $40,000 for one half of 2011-12 and 
          $80,000 for 2012-13 for a veterinary research scientist to amend 
          the regulations and develop the exemption form. 

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  . Supporters state this bill is needed to put a dog's 
            health in the hands of veterinarians and dog owners, instead 
            of at the discretion of local health officers.  According to 
            the author, there are often issues with health-compromised 
            dogs and further health problems associated with the canine 








                                                                  AB 258
                                                                  Page  2

            anti-rabies vaccination.  Supporters also contend that rabies 
            has been effectively eradicated in the pet dog population in 
            California.
          
          2)Background  . 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 canine anti-rabies vaccine every year.  The law 
            allows local governments to pass ordinances, for the issuance 
            of a dog license for a period not to exceed three years for 
            dogs older than 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 anti-rabies vaccination.  

           3)Related Legislation  . This bill is substantially similar to AB 
            2000 (Hagman) of 2010, which was held in the Senate 
            Appropriations Committee.


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916) 
          319-2081