BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  SB 702
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   July 6, 2011

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                     SB 702 (Lieu) - As Amended:  April 27, 2011 

          Policy Committee:                              Business and 
          Professions  Vote:                            8 - 0 

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

           SUMMARY  

          This bill prohibits animal control agencies and shelters from 
          releasing animals to their owners unless those animals have been 
          implanted with a microchip for identification purposes. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Potential nonreimbursable costs to local government for 
          additional enforcement, offset to some extent by additional fine 
          revenues. 

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale . The intent of this legislation is to increase the 
            likelihood that lost pets that end up in shelters will be 
            reunited with their owners. According to the author's office, 
            "Every year municipal animal shelters in California continue 
            to impound 1 million dogs and cats and kill nearly half of 
            these animals because the shelters are over-crowded.  A 
            significant source of the problem includes the lack of 
            identification and ability to reunite these animals with their 
            owners without delay.  This process costs over $300 million 
            per year according to the Cities and Counties Annual Reports 
            submitted to the State Controller's office."

           2)Microchipping  involves injecting a device that is small enough 
            to fit into a hypodermic needle under the skin of the animal, 
            where it will stay for the lifetime of the pet. The microchip 
            contains an identifying number which when scanned provides the 
            pet owner's contact information. The microchip is not an 
            active pet tracking device and therefore it is essential for 








                                                                  SB 702
                                                                  Page  2

            the owner to keep their contact information current with the 
            microchip's manufacturer. The cost of microchipping ranges 
            from $5 to $75.  According to the author, in some localities, 
            free microchipping services are available to pet owners.

           3)Opposition  .  The California Responsible Pet Owners' Coalition 
            argues that there are owners who are reluctant to have their 
            dog microchipped because of studies that have shown microchip 
            implantation can be dangerous for animals. 


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