California Informational Update: Senate Passes Legislation Impacting Commercial Animal Blood Banks

The California Senate recently passed Senate Bill 1115, which establishes procedures for phasing out commercial blood banks for animals (also defined in the bill as “captive closed-colony” blood banks), which are facilities where animals are kept, raised, and housed for the sole purpose of blood collection. The bill has been assigned to the Assembly Committee on Agriculture.  The legislature is tentatively scheduled to return on July 27, and at this time, no hearing date has been set for this bill.

What the Bill Does:

SB 1115 as passed by the Senate makes several changes, including:

• Provides a procedure for the phasing out of current “closed-colony” animal blood banks if blood banks using community-sourced blood are able to collect the same amount of blood as the commercial banks.  Community-sourcing is defined in the bill as owners who bring in animals that are kept at their residence to donate blood, similar in principle to human blood banks. (It clarifies that owners of donors may not include corporations, groups, etc.).

  If the California Department of Food and Agriculture determines that an equivalent amount of blood has been collected at community banks, then the closed-colony banks in the state could be ultimately shut down.

• Redefines “commercial blood bank” to instead refer to these community banks where blood and blood products obtained from community sources are produced and sold for the cure, treatment, mitigation, or prevention of disease or injury in animals.
• Implements an adoption program for a captive closed-colony commercial blood bank for animals.

If you wish to comment:
Comments regarding the measure may be made to members of the Assembly Committee on Agriculture.  The committee contact information is as follows:

AKC Government Relations will continue to monitor the bill.