BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 1249
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 13, 2009

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Kevin De Leon, Chair

               AB 1249 (Galgiani) - As Introduced:  February 27, 2009 

          Policy Committee:                              AgricultureVote:8  
          - 0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill creates an exception upon the declaration of a state  
          of emergency or local emergency, to the rules governing the  
          transportation of dead animals by licensed dead animal haulers.  
          Specifically, this bill: 

          1)Allows a state of emergency or local emergency as an  
            additional emergency waiver to the law requiring that only  
            dead animal haulers can haul dead animals and that they can  
            only be taken to a licensed rendering plant, a licensed  
            collection center, an animal diseased diagnostic laboratory,  
            the nearest crematory, or to an approved destination in  
            another state. 

          2)Allows the State Veterinarian to issue a master or individual  
            permit to a licensed dead animal hauler or individual hauling  
            his or her own animal that would allow the transport of a dead  
            animal to a landfill under specified circumstances. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          There are no significant costs associated with this legislation.  


           COMMENTS 

           Purpose  . According to the author, this bill is in response to an  
          incident that occurred in the San Joaquin Valley in 2006.   
          During that year, a heat wave caused a large number of livestock  
          deaths.  The number of deaths overwhelmed the normal system of  
          dead animal disposal.  During that time, the state veterinarians  








                                                                  AB 1249
                                                                  Page  2

          used their quarantine authority to employ alternative disposal  
          methods in order to protect public health. It is unclear whether  
          or not this was an appropriate use of the quarantine authority.  
          The intent of this legislation is to clarify that the state  
          veterinarians have the authority, in the event of an emergency,  
          to suspend appropriate laws governing animal hauling and  
          disposal. 



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