Florida Senate - 2022 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 448
Ì233706&Î233706
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
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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