BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 1388
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 15, 2013

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

             AB 1388 (Committee on Agriculture) - As Amended:  April 24,  
                                        2013 

          Policy Committee:                              AgricultureVote:7  
          - 0 

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

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires a horse to be tested for equine infectious  
          anemia (EIA) and found negative within 12 months, rather than  
          six, prior to entering California. In addition, this bill makes  
          various technical changes to the Equine Medication Monitoring  
          Program (EMMP), primarily as it pertains to the administration  
          of non-steroidal anti inflammatories (NSAIDs).  

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Minor, reimbursable local law enforcement costs. 

           COMMENTS  

           1)Purpose  . According to supporters, existing laws for the EMMP  
            are outdated, and do not provide flexibility for the  
            California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to amend  
            the list of permissible medications for horse shows and sales.  
            This bill gives CDFA greater flexibility in addressing this  
            issue, primarily as it pertains to NSAIDs.  

            In addition, this bill changes from six months to 12 the  
            timeframe within which a horse has had to have tested negative  
            for EIA before entering the state. With the decreased  
            prevalence of EIA over the last five years, the risk of  
            introduction of EIA into California through interstate  
            movement of horses has diminished to the point that the  
            six-month testing requirement is no longer necessary.   
            Forty-three states require a negative EIA test within 12  
            months of entry, while seven states currently require a  








                                                                  AB 1388
                                                                  Page  2

            negative EIA test within six months of entry.  
             
          2)Equine Infectious Anemia  . EIA, also known as swamp fever, is a  
            horse disease transmitted by bloodsucking insects.  The virus  
            is endemic in the Americas, parts of Europe, the Middle and  
            Far East, Russia, and South Africa.  EIA can be transmitted to  
            other equines through blood, saliva, milk, and body  
            secretions.  Transmission is primarily through biting flies.  
            At its worst, a horse with EIA may present with a high fever,  
            anemia, weakness, swelling of the lower abdomen and legs, weak  
            pulse, and irregular heartbeat. EIA can be fatal. 

           3)The Equine Medication Monitoring Program  .  The EMMP was  
            established in 1971, under the jurisdiction of the California  
            Department of Food and Agriculture.  The purpose of the  
            program was to prevent the abuse of medications in show and  
            sale horses. Each year, approximately 1,800 events register  
            with the EMMP drug testing program. Blood and urine samples  
            taken at events are submitted for chemical analysis to the  
            Kenneth L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at  
            U.C. Davis. Horses are randomly selected for drug sampling  
            with the emphasis placed on class winners at shows. 

            Funding for the program comes from a $5 per event fee charged  
            to the owner of every horse entered in a horse show in the  
            state. In the prior year, approximately $570,000 was collected  
            to fund the EMMP.




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