Senate Bill sb0958c1

    Florida Senate - 2005                            CS for SB 958

    By the Committee on Agriculture; and Senators Baker, Peaden,
    Bullard, Lawson, Bennett, Campbell and Fasano




    575-1932-05

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to animal health care services;

  3         amending s. 474.203, F.S.; providing that ch.

  4         474, F.S., related to veterinary medical

  5         practice, does not apply to certain persons who

  6         are under the supervision of an animal's owner

  7         or to certain persons providing specific

  8         services to horse owners; providing an

  9         effective date.

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11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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13         Section 1.  Subsection (5) of section 474.203, Florida

14  Statutes, is amended to read:

15         474.203  Exemptions.--This chapter shall not apply to:

16         (5)  Any person, or the person's regular employee, or

17  an independent contractor under the supervision of such person

18  who is administering to the ills or injuries of her or his own

19  animals, including, but not limited to, castration, spaying,

20  and dehorning of herd animals, unless title has been

21  transferred or employment provided for the purpose of

22  circumventing this law. An independent contractor may not

23  advertise in any way that implies that he or she is a

24  veterinarian. In the advertising, it must also contain a

25  statement that he or she is not a veterinarian and has no

26  veterinary medical training. In addition, a horse owner may

27  engage a farrier to provide routine hoof maintenance, equine

28  dental technicians to provide routine hand floating of teeth,

29  and other persons to provide hands-on healing, homeopathy,

30  nutritional counseling, and any other therapies not considered

31  to be the practice of veterinary medicine by the board. This

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    Florida Senate - 2005                            CS for SB 958
    575-1932-05




 1  exemption does shall not apply to out-of-state veterinarians

 2  practicing temporarily in the state. However, only a

 3  veterinarian may immunize or treat an animal for diseases that

 4  which are communicable to humans and which are of a public

 5  health significance.

 6         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

 7  law.

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 9          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
10                         Senate Bill 958

11                                 

12  Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 958 is different from
    Senate Bill 958 in that it:
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    1.   Amends s. 474.203, F.S., relating to veterinary medical
14       practice, to provide that this section does not apply to
         an independent contractor who is under the supervision of
15       a person who is administering to the ills or injuries of
         her or his own animals.
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    2.   Prohibits an independent contractor to advertise in any
17       way that implies that he or she is a veterinarian

18  3.   Eliminates a definition for the term "animal."

19  4.   Eliminates the authority that SB 958 gave the Department
         of Agriculture and Consumer Services to institute a civil
20       action against violators of the act and to impose and
         collect penalties.
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