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<ns0:Id>20250AB__173399INT</ns0:Id>
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<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-02-05</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member Lee</ns0:AuthorText>
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<ns0:Legislator>
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<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Lee</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title> An act to amend Sections 4858.1 and 4858.2 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to veterinary medicine. </ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>veterinary medicine</ns0:RelatingClause>
<ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:Subject>License and registration renewal: continuing education.</ns0:Subject>
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<html:p>Existing law, the Veterinary Medicine Practice Act, establishes the California Veterinary Medical Board, until January 1, 2030, within the Department of Consumer Affairs and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the licensure of veterinarians, the registration of veterinarian technicians, and the general regulation of the practice of veterinary medicine.</html:p>
<html:p>Existing law requires the board to issue a renewed veterinarian license or renewed veterinary technician registration to an applicant who completes a minimum number of hours of continuing education. Existing law permits a portion of this continuing education to be completed either as self study or by providing pro bono spay or neuter services for specified agencies.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would recast those provisions to, instead, specify that both the self
study and the pro bono spay or neuter services may be used to satisfy those requirements.</html:p>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:</html:p>
<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Doctors of veterinary medicine continue to innovate to address the pet overpopulation crisis.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Animal shelters in California support funding to advance education in high-quality, high-volume spay and neuter services to address the pet overpopulation crisis. Animal shelters further support veterinarians who receive continuing education credit for their time spent volunteering to provide spay and neuter services in California’s animal shelters.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
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Section 4858.1 of the
<ns0:DocName>Business and Professions Code</ns0:DocName>
is amended to read:
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<ns0:Num>4858.1.</ns0:Num>
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(a)
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The board shall issue renewed veterinarian licenses only to those applicants who have completed a minimum of 36 hours of continuing education in the preceding two years.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
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Continuing education hours for veterinarians shall be earned as follows:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Attending courses relevant to veterinary medicine and sponsored or cosponsored by any of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(A)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), its accredited veterinary medical colleges, or its recognized specialty or affiliated allied groups or educational organizations.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(B)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
State veterinary medical
associations or their affiliated associations or educational organizations.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(C)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Federal, state, or local government agencies.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(D)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Providers accredited, approved, or recognized by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), American Medical Association (AMA), American Dental Association Continuing Education Recognition Program (ADA CERP), or American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB).
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Up to six hours of the required 36 hours of continuing education may be earned by taking self-study courses, which may include, but are not limited to, reading journals, viewing video recordings, or listening to audio recordings.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Up to four hours
of the required 36 hours of continuing education may be earned by providing spaying or neutering services at no cost to a public animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, humane society shelter, or rescue group in compliance with the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(A)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The services shall be performed at a veterinary
premises registered with the board pursuant to Section 4853.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(B)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Proof of completion of continuing education pursuant to this
paragraph shall be documented by the director or administrator of the public animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, humane society shelter, or rescue group, with a copy provided to the veterinarian, and include the date of performing the spaying and neutering services, the name, address, and telephone number of the entity for which the spaying and neutering services were provided, and the name, address, and veterinary premises registration where the spaying and neutering services were performed.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A veterinarian who teaches a course specified in subparagraphs (A) to (D),
inclusive, of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) may receive continuing education credit for the course one time during a renewal period.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(5)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Up to 16 hours of continuing education credit may be earned by participating as an expert in an examination preparation workshop for the national licensing examination.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(6)
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Up to 24 hours of
continuing education credit may be earned for completing courses in business practice management or licensee mental health and wellness and its impact on the delivery of veterinary services.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(7)
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Up to one hour of continuing education credit may be earned by passing the Veterinary Law Examination (VLE).
</html:p>
<html:p>
(8)
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Up to two hours of
continuing education credit may be earned by attending a board of Veterinary Medicine Multidisciplinary Advisory Committee meeting, as verified by the board.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Providers offering continuing education courses pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (b) shall comply with the requirements of Section 4858.3.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
For good cause, the board may adopt an order specifying, on a prospective basis, that a course provider authorized pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (b) is no longer an acceptable provider.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(e)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A licensed veterinarian who renews their license shall complete a minimum of one credit hour of continuing education on the judicious use of medically important antimicrobial drugs every four years as part of their continuing education requirements.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
For purposes of this subdivision, “medically important antimicrobial drug” means an antimicrobial drug listed in Appendix A of the federal Food and Drug Administration’s Guidance for Industry #152, including critically important, highly important, and important antimicrobial drugs, as that appendix may be amended.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 3.</ns0:Num>
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Section 4858.2 of the
<ns0:DocName>Business and Professions Code</ns0:DocName>
is amended to read:
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<ns0:Num>4858.2.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The board shall issue renewed veterinary technician registrations only to those applicants who have completed a minimum of 20 hours of continuing education in the preceding two years.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Continuing education hours for registered veterinary technicians shall be earned as follows:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Attending courses provided by those specified in subparagraphs (A) to (D), inclusive, of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 4858.1 or sponsored or cosponsored by one of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(A)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) recognized veterinary technician specialty organizations.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(B)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
State veterinary technician associations recognized by the secretary of state in that state.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Up to four hours of the required 20 hours of continuing
education may be earned by taking self-study courses, which may include, but are not limited to, reading journals, viewing video recordings, or listening to audio recordings.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Up to two hours of the required 20 hours of continuing education may be earned by performing animal health care tasks related to spaying or neutering services
at no cost to a public animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, humane society shelter, or rescue group in compliance with the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(A)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The services shall be performed under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian at a veterinary premises registered with the board pursuant to Section 4853.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(B)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Proof of completion of continuing education pursuant to this paragraph shall be documented, with a copy provided to the registered veterinary technician, by the supervising veterinarian and include the date of performance of animal health care tasks, the name, address, and telephone number of the entity for which the animal health care tasks were provided, the name and veterinarian license number of the supervising veterinarian, and the name, address, and veterinary premises registration where the animal health care tasks were performed.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A registered veterinary technician who teaches a course described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) may receive continuing education credit for the course one time during a renewal period.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(5)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Up to nine hours of continuing education credit may be earned by participating as an expert in an examination preparation workshop for the national licensing examination.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(6)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Up to 13 hours of continuing education credit may be earned for completing courses in business practice management or mental health and wellness and its impact on the delivery of veterinary services.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(7)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Up to one hour of continuing education credit may be earned by passing the Veterinary Law Examination.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(8)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Up to two hours of continuing education credit may be earned by attending a board or Veterinary Medicine Multidisciplinary Advisory Committee meeting, as verified by the board.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Providers offering continuing education courses pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (b) shall comply with the requirements of Section 4858.3.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
For good cause, the board may adopt an order specifying, on a prospective basis, that a continuing education source authorized pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (b) is no longer an acceptable source.
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