Currently, animal owners in California can perform certain functions on their animals such as giving vaccines or basic wound care under what’s known as the “owner exemption”—allowable under current regulations from the California Veterinary Medical Board (CMVB).
This policy (and others affecting veterinarians) was considered last month by the California Legislature as a part of their bigger “sunset review” of various regulations of the CVMB. No action was taken. This policy will likely be considered again (as AB 1502) in an Assembly hearing on April 29.
Now is a great time to submit your comments that will protect dog owners if you have not previously done so! (Note: AB 1502 does not currently mention the owner exemption; however, this is just the first version of this bill and it will be amended to possibly include changes to the owner exemption.)
What You Can Do:
The two best ways to have your voice heard are:
- Submitting written comments through California Position Letter Portal, which can be found here (the relevant bill number is AB 1502);
- Email committee leadership directly:
- Assemblymember Marc Berman (chair); berman@assembly.ca.gov
- Assemblymember Heath Flora (vice-chair); flora@assembly.ca.gov
AKC will provide information regarding the April hearing when it is formally scheduled.
Summary/Talking Points:
- Currently, owners of animals in California can carry out various medical activities on their animals like giving vaccines, basic wound care, birthing, etc. under the “owner exemption.”
- If the owner exemption is disallowed, basic care for animals would have to always be done under the care of a veterinarian; this could especially harm those in rural or urban communities with lesser veterinary care access.
AKC Government Relations continues to monitor bills in California impacting dog owners and will provide updates. For questions or more information, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.