04/18/1996 02:20 PM Senate L&C

                                                                               
                  HB 432 VETERINARY LICENSING                                  
                                                                              
 SENATOR KELLY announced  HB 432  to be up for consideration.                  
                                                                               
 MR. POPPE, Staff of Representative Kott, sponsor, explained that              
 this bill was introduced at the request of some veterinarians.  The           
 Board of Veterinary Medicine supports it.  It changes the name of             
 the Board to the National Board of Examination Committee.  Section            
 2 also makes it an unclassified misdemeanor to falsely claim to               
 have a veterinary license and to practice without a license.                  
 Currently there are no penalties in place for doing this.  An                 
 unclassified misdemeanor would be up to one year in jail and a                
 $10,000 fine.  So this would plug a loophole.                                 
                                                                               
 Section 7 slightly modified the definition of the practice of                 
 veterinary medicine to include false presentation of being a                  
 veterinarian.                                                                 
                                                                               
 Section 1 allows veterinary technicians to practice and section 5             
 sets up a procedure for them to be licensed by the Board.                     
 Currently they are only registered, not licensed.                             
                                                                               
 MS. REARDON said they support the bill as does the Board of                   
 Veterinarians.                                                                
                                                                               
 SENATOR MILLER said he wanted to make sure this bill was not aimed            
 at someone who wanted to take care of his dog.  MS. REARDON                   
 directed their attention to page 3 which says practicing "for                 
 compensation."                                                                
                                                                               
 SENATOR TORGERSON asked what was the impact of licensing                      
 technicians and what is their job.  MS. REARDON replied that they             
 have already been licensing veterinary technicians.  This would               
 basically give them the title of licensed veterinary technicians.             
 This isn't a new intrusion into unregulated activities.                       
 SENATOR TORGERSON asked if there were fees associated with                    
 licensing and registration.  MS. REARDON answered that she believed           
 so.  She added that often professions preferred to be able to be              
 called "licensed."                                                            
                                                                               
 SENATOR TORGERSON asked how many there were.  MS. REARDON said she            
 was sorry, but she didn't know the answer.                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR TORGERSON moved to pass HB 432 from committee with                    
 individual recommendations.  There were no objections and it was so           
 ordered.