Amended in Senate August 26, 2015

Amended in Senate June 30, 2015

Amended in Assembly April 27, 2015

Amended in Assembly March 26, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 317


Introduced by Assembly Member Maienschein

February 13, 2015


An act to add Section 900.1 to the Business and Professions Code, relating to veterinary medicine.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 317, as amended, Maienschein. Veterinary medicine: temporary shelter.

Under existing law, the Veterinary Medical Board licenses and regulates veterinarians and the practice of veterinary medicine. It is unlawful for any person to practice veterinary medicine in this state unless he or she holds a valid, unexpired, and unrevoked license issued by the board, except under specified circumstances.

Existing law requires the registration of all premises where veterinary medicine, veterinary dentistry, or veterinary surgery is being practiced. Existing law also requires these premises, and all instruments, apparatus, and apparel used in connection with those practices, to be kept clean and sanitary at all times, and to conform to those minimum standards established by the board. Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to violate these provisions regulating the practice of veterinary medicine.

This bill would exempt from the premises registration requirements a temporary shelter that is established to provide care and shelter to animals displaced by a state of emergency, if specified requirements arebegin delete met.end deletebegin insert met, and would authorize the Veterinary Medical Board to inspect a temporary shelter.end insert The bill would require, within 30 calendar days after the temporary shelter ceases operations, the party responsible for the temporary shelter to file a report with thebegin delete Veterinary Medical Boardend deletebegin insert boardend insert containing specific information.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P2    1

SECTION 1.  

Section 900.1 is added to the Business and
2Professions Code
, to read:

3

900.1.  

(a) Notwithstanding any other law, a temporary shelter
4shall be exempt from the premises registration requirements of
5Chapter 11 (commencing with Section 4800) if all of the following
6requirements are met:

7(1) The temporary shelter is established to provide care and
8shelter to animals displaced by a state of emergency, as defined
9in subdivision (b) of Section 8558 of the Government Code, only
10provides care and shelter to those animals, and, if possible, is
11located near an American Red Cross shelter, or other equivalent
12shelter, that houses persons displaced by the state of emergency.

13(2) The temporary shelter is operated by either of the following:

14(A) A veterinary health care practitioner licensed or certified
15by, and in good standing in, another state, district, or territory of
16the United States, who is deployed to this state pursuant to Section
17900.

18(B) A veterinary health care practitioner licensed or certified
19by, and in good standing in, this state, who responds to a state of
20emergency, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 8558 of the
21Government Code.

22(3) The temporary shelter complies with Section 4854.

23(4) The temporary shelter does not operate beyond a
2460-calendar-day period per state of emergency. begin delete If the state of
25emergency exceeds the initial 60-calendar-day period, the Director
26of the Emergency Medical Services Authority may grant an
P3    1extension of that period in 30-calendar-day increments until the
2state of emergency is concluded.end delete

begin insert

3(5) The temporary shelter is deployed in a manner that is
4consistent with the sheltering guidelines established by the
5California Animal Response Emergency System (CARES).

end insert

6(b) Within 30 calendar days after a temporary shelter exempt
7from premises registration requirements pursuant to this section
8ceases operations, the party responsible for the temporary shelter
9shall file a report with the Veterinary Medical Board containing
10the date, place, type, and general description of the care provided
11at the shelter, and a listing of the veterinary health care practitioners
12who participated in providing that care.

begin insert

13(c) The Veterinary Medical Board may inspect a temporary
14shelter established pursuant to this section.

end insert


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