HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1776

             As Reported By House Committee on:

               Agriculture & Rural Development

Title:  An act relating to veterinary medicine.

Brief Description:  Establishing a license to practice specialized veterinary medicine.

Sponsor(s):  Representatives Day, Moyer, Zellinsky and Rasmussen; by request of Department of Health.

Brief History:

  Reported by House Committee on:

Agriculture & Rural Development, February 21, 1991, DPS.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON

AGRICULTURE & RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Majority Report: That Substitute House Bill No. 1776 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 11 members:  Representatives Rayburn, Chair; Kremen, Vice Chair; Nealey, Ranking Minority Member; P. Johnson, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Chandler; Grant; R. Johnson; Lisk; McLean; Rasmussen; and Roland.

Staff:  Kenneth Hirst (786-7105).

Background:  The practice of veterinary medicine is regulated by the state's Veterinary Board of Governors.  The board is under the general administrative umbrella of the Department of Health.  Licenses are issued by the secretary of health.  The secretary establishes the amount of the licensing fees.

The American Veterinary Medical Association recognizes the following specialties in the field of veterinary medicine: toxicology, laboratory animal medicine, theriogenology, anesthesiology, dermatology, emergency and critical care, internal medicine, cardiology, neurology, oncology, microbiology, veterinary nutrition, opthamology, pathology, preventative medicine, radiology, surgery, and zoological medicine.

Summary of Substitute Bill:  The Department of Health may issue a license to practice specialized veterinary medicine in a specialty area recognized by the Veterinary Board of Governors by rule.  The license may be issued to a veterinarian who: is currently certified by a national specialty board or college recognized by the board by rule in the specialty area; is not subject to disciplinary action regarding a license in the United States, its territories, or Canada; has successfully completed a state exam on this state's laws and rules regulating the practice of veterinary medicine; and provides supporting information.  The secretary of health must establish a fee for such a license.

The board may revoke or limit such a specialty license if the certifying national board or college revokes or limits the certification or the certification expires.

The board must determine by rule the limits of the practice of veterinary medicine represented by a specialty license.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  The original bill prevented a specialist from practicing any form of general veterinary medicine outside of the specialty without a general practitioner's license; the substitute bill permits the Veterinary Board of Governors to prescribe the limits of the specialty practice by rule.  A reference in the original bill to a jurisprudence exam is changed by the substitute bill to a reference to an exam on the laws and rules regulating veterinary medicine.

Fiscal Note:  Requested February 8, 1991.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  (1)  The American Veterinary Medical Association recognizes advanced specialties.  Persons who get certified in these specialties have had several years of training beyond their general veterinary medical training.  The bill will acknowledge these certified specialties.  (2)  The current system of law actually discourages specialists from locating in the State since there is no mechanism for licensing the specialty so it may be legally advertised.  The bill will attract specialists to the State and, therefore, improve the veterinary services available here.

Testimony Against:  None.

Witnesses:  Susan Shirley and E. Doyle Montgomery, state Veterinary Board of Governors (in favor); and Greg Hanon, Washington State Veterinary Medical Association (in favor).