BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 272
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 272 (Gomez)
As Introduced February 7, 2013
Majority vote
AGRICULTURE 7-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Ayes:|Eggman, Olsen, Atkins, |Ayes:|Gatto, Harkey, Bigelow, |
| |Dahle, Pan, Quirk, Yamada | |Bocanegra, Bradford, Ian |
| | | |Calderon, Campos, |
| | | |Donnelly, Eggman, Gomez, |
| | | |Hall, Holden, Linder, |
| | | |Pan, Quirk, Wagner, Weber |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | | | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY : Changes, from four months to three months, the age at
which a dog is required to be vaccinated against rabies. This
bill also makes technical changes.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, there are no significant costs associated with this
legislation.
COMMENTS : Rabies is a viral disease that affects the central
nervous system and causes acute inflammation of the brain.
Rabies is almost always fatal if treatment is not administered
prior to the onset of severe symptoms. In California, most
cases of rabies occur in skunks and bats; however, any mammal,
including human, can contract rabies. Domestic animals account
for 3% of animal rabies, and the rest occurs in a variety of
wild animals. Rabies can be prevented by vaccination. Rabies
prevention programs, including vaccinations, in the United
States have reduced laboratory-confirmed cases of rabies in dogs
from 6,949 in 1947 to 93 in 2009.
According to the author, the four month age for vaccination is
out of step with current federal rules, other states, and
existing vaccine labels. The Center for Disease Control and
Prevention's 2011 Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and
Control (Compendium) lists 14 rabies vaccinations for dogs
licensed by the federal government. The minimum age for all
rabies vaccination for dogs is three months. California is the
AB 272
Page 2
only state that sets a minimum age of four months for dog rabies
vaccination.
By allowing California veterinarians to vaccinate at three
months, supporters state that this will lessen the chance of
over-vaccination of young dogs coming into California.
Furthermore, supporters feel that, along with aligning
California rabies law with the rest of the nation, this bill
will offer protection against rabies to more dogs.
Opponents state that this bill is unneeded as California has a
low rate of rabies in domestic animals, with three cases of
rabies in dogs reported since 2007. Opponents feel that
lowering the age of vaccination can be counterproductive, as
puppies have sufficient maternal antibodies (MAB) to protect
against rabies. The 2011 American Animal Hospital Association
Canine Vaccination Guidelines list puppy's MAB as one of the
three main reasons for vaccine failure.
Analysis Prepared by : Victor Francovich / AGRI. / (916)
319-2084
FN: 0000174