March 10 , 2010

Volume VII, No. 20

House Bill 5377 Passes in House Committee

House Bill 5377, the ISVMA drafted legislation amending the Illinois Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act, was approved today on a vote of 9-0 in the Illinois House of Representatives Health Care Licensing Committee. The bill will now be voted upon by the full House of Representatives.

House Bill 5377 is sponsored by Representative Frank Mautino (D-Spring Valley), Representative William Black (R-Danville) and Representative David Reis (R-Olney).

House Bill 5377 was amended after difficult negotiations with lobbyists representing opponents including the Illinois Alliance for Animal Owners Rights (IAAOR), Horsemen's Council of Illinois (HCI), Illinois Acupuncture Federation, thoroughbred owners and trainers, dog breeders, and more.

The primary concern of the opposition was an ISVMA amendment to exemptions (8) and (15). In order to advance the other changes needed in the Act, the ISVMA agreed to remove the changes to these exemptions. The HCI was the only remaining opponent after the bill was amended.

The Practice Act - What is It?

The Illinois Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act is the law that establishes veterinary medicine as a profession. It also defines what is considered the practice of veterinary medicine, sets forth licensure and disciplinary requirements for veterinarians and veterinary technicians, and establishes limited exemptions from the requirements of the Act.

The State of Illinois, since the passage of the first Veterinary Practice Act in 1899, has recognized the importance of the veterinary profession. That value is expressed in the preamble of the Act, which currently reads:

"The practice of veterinary medicine in the State of Illinois is declared to affect the public health, safety and welfare and to be subject to State regulation and control in the public interest. It is further declared to be a matter of public interest and concern that the veterinary profession merit and receive the confidence of the public and that only qualified and licensed persons be permitted to practice veterinary medicine."

Opponents of House Bill 5377 wrote in their position paper that animal owners should have the “right to choose licensed or unlicensed practitioners for their animals’ health care needs.” These opponents argued against the public interest which has been affirmed in law by this State for 111 years and is also the law of every other state in the country.

AVMA and WebMD Team Up to Launch Online Pet Health Community:

"The AVMA is concerned about the vast amount of misinformation about pet health that can be found on the Internet," explains Dr. Larry R. Corry, president of the AVMA. "Through this collaboration with an established and respected resource, we hope to give pet owners an opportunity to get accurate, sound advice about animals in general and, more specifically, about their pets."

Read the complete article at http://bit.ly/bqnlgT.

AVMA's Dr. Ron DeHaven Responds to News That National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is Being Scrapped

On February 5, 2010, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was going to scrap the eight years of work and $120 million poured into creation of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS).

Dr. Ron DeHaven, CEO of AVMA has posted a video response at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDHkRS795w8.

About the Photo

The Roadside Hawk (Buteo magnarostris) is a small, long legged tropical raptor species. It is common from Mexico to Argentina and is very rare in winter to the Rio Grande Valley, Texas. It has gray-brown upperparts and a rufous belly with white to buff colored and course barring. The tail is banded with a white tip.

This hawk flies with stiff, rapid wing beats and hunts along roadsides. It is often found perching low on roadside fence posts or trees.

I photographed this immature Roadside Hawk at Falcon State Park in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, TX.

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