Florida Senate - 2022                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 448
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì233706&Î233706                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                   Comm: WD            .                                
                  02/08/2022           .                                
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       The Committee on Regulated Industries (Brodeur) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment 
    2  
    3         Delete lines 65 - 152
    4  and insert:
    5  medicine in this state. The practice of veterinary medicine
    6  occurs where the veterinarian or the patient, or both, are
    7  located at the time the veterinarian practices telemedicine.
    8         (3)The board has jurisdiction over a veterinarian
    9  practicing telemedicine in this state, regardless of where the
   10  veterinarian’s physical offices are located. The practice of
   11  telemedicine in accordance with this section is not a standard
   12  of care violation, and a veterinarian may not be disciplined
   13  solely for practicing telemedicine.
   14         Section 4. Subsections (1) and (3) of section 828.30,
   15  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   16         828.30 Rabies vaccination of dogs, cats, and ferrets.—
   17         (1)(a) All dogs, cats, and ferrets 4 months of age or older
   18  must be vaccinated by a licensed veterinarian or, in the case of
   19  impounded animals, a person authorized under paragraph (b),
   20  against rabies with a vaccine that is licensed by the United
   21  States Department of Agriculture for use in those species.
   22         (b)An employee, an agent, or a contractor of an animal
   23  control authority acting under the indirect supervision of a
   24  veterinarian may vaccinate impounded dogs, cats, and ferrets
   25  that will be transferred, rescued, fostered, adopted, or
   26  reclaimed by the owner. The supervising veterinarian assumes
   27  responsibility for any person vaccinating animals at his or her
   28  direction or under his or her supervision. As used in this
   29  paragraph, the term “indirect supervision” means that the
   30  supervising veterinarian is required to be available for
   31  consultation through telecommunications but is not required to
   32  be physically present during such consultation.
   33         (c) The owner of every dog, cat, and ferret shall have the
   34  animal revaccinated 12 months after the initial vaccination.
   35  Thereafter, the interval between vaccinations shall conform to
   36  the vaccine manufacturer’s directions. The cost of vaccination
   37  must be borne by the animal’s owner. Evidence of circulating
   38  rabies virus neutralizing antibodies may shall not be used as a
   39  substitute for current vaccination in managing rabies exposure
   40  or determining the need for booster vaccinations.
   41         (3) Upon vaccination against rabies, the licensed
   42  veterinarian shall provide the animal’s owner and the animal
   43  control authority with a rabies vaccination certificate. Each
   44  animal control authority and veterinarian shall use the “Rabies
   45  Vaccination Certificate” of the National Association of State
   46  Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) or an equivalent form
   47  approved by the local government which that contains all the
   48  information required by the NASPHV Rabies Vaccination
   49  Certificate. The veterinarian who administers the rabies
   50  vaccination, or who supervises the administration of the rabies
   51  vaccination as provided in paragraph (1)(b), vaccine to an
   52  animal as authorized required under this section may affix his
   53  or her signature stamp in lieu of an actual signature.
   54         Section 5. Paragraph (a) of subsection (5) of section
   55  474.203, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   56         474.203 Exemptions.—This chapter does not apply to:
   57         (5)(a) Any person, or the person’s regular employee,
   58  administering to the ills or injuries of her or his own animals,
   59  including, but not limited to, castration, spaying, and
   60  dehorning of herd animals, unless title is transferred or
   61  employment provided for the purpose of circumventing this law.
   62  This exemption does not apply to any person licensed as a
   63  veterinarian in another state or foreign jurisdiction and
   64  practicing temporarily in this state. However, except as
   65  provided in s. 828.30, only a veterinarian may immunize or treat
   66  an animal for diseases that are communicable to humans and that
   67  are of public health significance.
   68  
   69  For the purposes of chapters 465 and 893, persons exempt
   70  pursuant to subsection (1), subsection (2), or subsection (4)
   71  are deemed to be duly licensed practitioners authorized by the
   72  laws of this state to prescribe drugs or medicinal supplies.
   73         Section 6. Paragraph (y) of subsection (1) of section
   74  474.214, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   75         474.214 Disciplinary proceedings.—
   76         (1) The following acts shall constitute grounds for which
   77  the disciplinary actions in subsection (2) may be taken:
   78         (y) Using the privilege of ordering, prescribing, or making
   79  available medicinal drugs or drugs as defined in chapter 465, or
   80  controlled substances as defined in chapter 893, for use other
   81  than for the specific treatment of animal patients for which
   82  there is a documented veterinarian/client/patient relationship.
   83  Pursuant thereto, The veterinarian shall:
   84         1. Have sufficient knowledge of the animal to initiate at
   85  least a general or preliminary diagnosis of the medical
   86  condition of the animal, which means that the veterinarian is
   87  personally acquainted with the keeping and caring of the animal,
   88  is in compliance with s. 474.2021(2)(b), and has recently seen
   89  the animal or has made medically appropriate and timely visits
   90  to