Dave Cortese
- Democratic
- Senator
- District 15
Author
Existing law, the Veterinary Medicine Practice Act, establishes the California Veterinary Medical Board within the Department of Consumer Affairs for the licensure and regulation of veterinarians and the practice of veterinary medicine and makes a violation of the act a crime. Existing law authorizes a veterinarian to allow a registered veterinary technician to act as an agent of the veterinarian for the purpose of establishing the veterinarian-client-patient relationship to administer preventive or prophylactic vaccines or medications for the control or eradication of apparent or anticipated internal or external parasites by satisfying specified conditions, including, among other things, imposing different requirements relating to the proximity of the veterinarian depending upon where the registered veterinarian technician is administering the vaccine or medication. Specifically, existing law requires either that the veterinarian is physically present at the premises when the registered veterinary technician is working at a registered veterinary premises, or, if working at a location other than a registered veterinary premises, that the veterinarian is in the general vicinity or available by telephone and is quickly and easily available. This bill would revise the above-described condition to authorize a registered veterinary technician to administer the vaccine or medication in a registered veterinary premises that is a public animal control agency or shelter, private animal shelter, humane society shelter, or society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter when the veterinarian is in the general vicinity or available by telephone and is quickly and easily available. Because a violation of the bill's provisions would be a crime under the Veterinary Medicine Practice Act, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 589, Statutes of 2025.
Approved by the Governor.
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11 a.m.
Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 2253.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
Ordered to special consent calendar.
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 2595.) Ordered to the Senate.
In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar.
From committee: Do pass. Ordered to consent calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (July 9).
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (June 24). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on B. & P.
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 1051.) Ordered to the Assembly.
Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar.
From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to consent calendar.
Set for hearing May 5.
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 11. Noes 0. Page 809.) (April 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
Set for hearing April 21.
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 23.
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
| Bill Text Versions | Format |
|---|---|
| SB602 | HTML |
| 02/20/25 - Introduced | |
| 06/18/25 - Amended Assembly | |
| 08/27/25 - Enrolled | |
| 10/10/25 - Chaptered |
| Document | Format |
|---|---|
| 04/17/25- Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development | |
| 05/07/25- Sen. Floor Analyses | |
| 06/20/25- Assembly Business and Professions | |
| 07/07/25- Assembly Appropriations | |
| 08/14/25- Sen. Floor Analyses |
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