Recently in the News
Conveniently linked news coverage of recent legislative activity and issues affecting the veterinary regulatory community. If you have something to share please email memberservices@aavsb.org.
11/17/21: Veterinary telemedicine restrictions make a comeback
The United Kingdom and California in the United States have in recent days ended or announced they will soon end waivers of their telemedicine restrictions. Read more from VIN News here…
10/28/21: MU partners with Jefferson College creating new transfer program for vet techs
The 2 colleges have teamed up to tackle the growing shortages of veterinary technicians by establishing a new 2+2 agreement. Read more from dvm360 here…
10/17/21: Celebration of National Veterinary Technician Week
In celebration of National Veterinary Technician Week the AAVSB is spotlighting vet techs who are out there making a difference every day! See our posts on the AAVSB’s Facebook page or on LinkedIn here…
10/14/21: A More Comfortable Goodbye? Vets Bring Pet Euthanasia Home
Services that offer home euthanasia for pets have been busier than ever since the pandemic led to restrictions on humans inside veterinary practices and animal hospitals. Read more from the Associated Press here…
10/13/21: Education, communication are important strategies to prevent suicide among veterinarians
Suicide Prevention Roundtable promotes mental health treatment, best practices around how to discuss suicide. Suicide is an issue affecting the veterinary profession, but not to the extent that it’s been made out to be, according to experts. Read more from JAVMAnews here…
10/08/21: The AAVSB Delegate Assembly Elects 2021-2022 Board of Directors & Leadership
The AAVSB is pleased to announce its new President and members of the 2021-2022 Board of Directors. Elections were held at the 2021 AAVSB Annual Meeting & Conference in Denver, Colorado on October 2, 2021. Read more from the AAVSB here…
09/30/2021: Wolf [Pennsylvania Governor] signs bills extending COVID-19 regulatory waivers
Reported on in the October 2021 Watchdog Report, PA HB1861 extends hundreds of regulatory waivers and suspensions that were set to expire September 30, 2021, including the BPOA order that encourage telemedicine. Read more in an article from City & State Pennsylvania here…
09/16/21: Paws off, Xylitol!
Xylitol-related calls to pet poison hotlines have skyrocketed in recent years. The Paws Off Act of 2021, which would require food products containing xylitol to include a warning label, could help. Read more from the AHAA here…
09/09/21 October 01, 2021 Issue: Nevada veterinarians can treat patients with certain cannabis products. Many questions yet to be answered about cannabinoids as a veterinary treatment.
Starting this October, veterinarians licensed in Nevada can recommend and administer hemp and cannabidiol products containing not more than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol without fear of sanction from the state licensing board. Read more from JAVMA here…
09/08/21 Kentucky's legislature is meeting in special session: Here are the bills being considered
A special session of the Kentucky General Assembly kicked off Tuesday, which is expected to include the passage of several bills to address the escalating COVID-19 pandemic in the state. Read more from KY’s Courier Journal here…
09/08/21: National Veterinary First Responder Certification
New master’s degree for veterinary technicians adds fuel to workforce debate. Read more from VIN here…
09/07/21 California Close to Legalizing Community Blood Banking for Animals
The California State Senate has approved Assembly Bill 1282, the California Pet Blood Bank Modernization Act… Currently, voluntary community-based blood banking isn’t allowed in California. Instead, California is the only state in the country that requires animal blood to come from so-called “closed colony blood banks” that source blood from animals kept, housed, or maintained at a facility for the purpose of collecting their blood. Read more from Santa Monica Daily Press here…
08/25/21 Are we in a veterinary workforce crisis? Understanding our reality can guide us to a solution
Commentary by Matthew Salois, PhD, AVMA’s Chief Economist, and Gail Golab, PhD, DVM, MANZCVS, DACAW, AVMA’s Chief Veterinary Officer. Read more from JAVMAnews here…
08/20/21 New Texas vet school working with AAHA hospitals to train students
Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine has eliminated the need for—and expense of—building a teaching hospital by having fourth-year students learn directly from veterinary practices in rural areas throughout the state that have partnered with the school in a residency-like learning program. Read more from AAHA here…
07/29/21 Governors Start Mandating the COVID-19 Vaccine for State Employees
Governors, starting in California and New York, have announced vaccine mandates for state employees as coronavirus cases spike. Will others follow their lead? Read more from U.S. News here…
7/22/21 Veterinary Technician Credentialing Spreads to More States *
Push for ‘veterinary nurse’ title wanes. Read more from VIN here…
*The AAVSB’s model regulation for scope of practice for veterinarian technicians is referenced in detail with direct quote from Executive Director James Penrod, CAE, FASLA!
7/21/21 States Move to Reduce Licensing Barriers for Immigrants
Some states responded to a shortage of skilled workers in health care jobs at the height of the pandemic by easing state regulations to allow immigrant health professionals to practice. A few states, including Nevada and New Jersey, started allowing doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and other health care workers trained in other countries to practice within their borders and assist with the pandemic response.Read more from NCLS here…
7/21/21 State Attorneys General Reach A $26 Billion National Opioid Settlement
A bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general announced on Wednesday a $26 billion national settlement with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and three companies that distributed opioid painkillers even as addiction and overdose deaths skyrocketed. Read more from NPR here…
7/09/21 Victory! Hawaiian Legislature Passes Seven New Animal Protection Laws Including A Ban On Killing Sharks In State Waters
“Hawaii made huge strides by passing seven bills within one session improving the lives of animals. We hope that the state can serve as a leading example for the rest of the nation of what can happen when legislators and advocates commit to making humane changes…” Read more from WAN here…
6/23/21 Nevada takes lead on CBD in veterinary medicine
New law lets practitioners recommend, administer cannabis product to pets. Read more here…
6/19/21 CDC launches multistate investigation after imported rescue dog tests positive for rabies variant twice eradicated in U.S.
Three bills focused on rabies testing have passed thus far in 2021 (CT HB06504, DE HB4, NJ A1219). This from The Washington Post comes one month before a year-long CDC ban on imported dogs from roughly 100 countries is scheduled to take effect. Read more here…
6/7/21 Pet ownership surged during COVID-19. Veterinarians are exhausted.
Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association’s Executive Director Jennifer Keeler is quoted. Read more here…
6/4/2021 Governor Lamont Signs Legislation Extending Telehealth Services for Another Two Years
State of Connecticut. Read more here…
5/31/2021 SPCA Challenges California Telemedicine Law
The San Francisco SPCA is suing over California’s veterinary medicine telemedicine law, saying the constraints are bad for pets and their owners. Read more here…
5/25/2021 The "State" of Telehealth: Arizona ... Is All-in On Telehealth
Arizona HB 2454 (detailed in the 2021 Inaugural Report) puts Arizona at the forefront of telehealth expansion. Read more here…
5/21/2021 RVTTC announces funding for the creation of a career pathway website
RVTTC announces funding for the creation of a career pathway website to support and empower Registered Veterinary Technologists and Technicians and to position the profession as a career with limitless opportunities. Read more here…
5/11/2021 Red Bank Vet Decapitated Dead Cat Without Telling Owner: Lawsuit
State of New Jersey. Sparked bill NJ A1219 (detailed in the 2021 Inaugural Report) requiring owner notification of rabies testing protocol prior to testing of owner’s animal for rabies. Read more here…