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January 24, 2024 HB 24-1047
Legislative Council Staff
Nonpartisan Services for Colorado’s Legislature
Fiscal Note
Drafting Number:
Prime Sponsors:
LLS 24-0357
Rep. McCormick; Catlin
Sen. Roberts; Simpson
Date:
Bill Status:
Fiscal Analyst:
January 24, 2024
House Ag., Water & Natural Res.
Clayton Mayfield | 303-866-5851
clayton.mayfield@coleg.gov
Bill Topic: VETERINARY TECHNICIAN SCOPE OF PRACTICE
Summary of
Fiscal Impact:
☐ State Revenue
☒ State Expenditure
☐ State Transfer
☐ TABOR Refund
☐ Local Government
☐ Statutory Public Entity
The bill requires the Department of Regulatory Agencies to promulgate rules
allowing veterinarians to delegate certain tasks to veterinary technicians and
veterinary technician specialists, and allows veterinary technicians to receive a
specialist designation. The bill increases state workload starting in FY 2024-25.
Appropriation
Summary:
No appropriation is required.
Fiscal Note
Status:
The fiscal note reflects the introduced bill, which was recommended by the Water
Resources and Agriculture Review Committee.
Summary of Legislation
The bill allows veterinary technicians to receive a designation as a veterinary technician specialist
(VTS) starting January 1, 2026, and provides title protection for VTSs. Prior to this date, the bill
requires the Board of Veterinary Medicine in the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) to
establish a process for credentialing VTSs. DORA is prohibited from charging an additional fee
for registration as a VTS, or charging a higher registration fee for specialists than for veterinary
technicians (VTs).
Additionally, the bill establishes a framework for the supervision and delegation of veterinary
care by veterinarians to VTs and VTSs and requires that continuing education must include
topics related to delegation of veterinary tasks. DORA must promulgate rules concerning the
supervision and delegation of veterinary care.
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January 24, 2024 HB 24-1047
Comparable Crime Analysis
Legislative Council Staff is required to include certain information in the fiscal note for any bill
that creates a new crime, changes the classification of an existing crime, or creates a new factual
basis for an existing crime. The following section outlines crimes that are comparable to the
offense in this bill and discusses assumptions on future rates of criminal convictions resulting
from the bill.
Prior conviction data and assumptions. This bill creates the new offense of unauthorized
practice as a veterinary technician specialist, a class 2 misdemeanor. To form an estimate on the
prevalence of this new crime, the fiscal note analyzed the existing offense of unauthorized
practice as a veterinary technician as a comparable crime. From FY 2020-21 to FY 2022-23,
two offenders have been sentenced and convicted for this existing offense. Based on the low
number of convictions for this existing crime, the fiscal note assumes that there will be minimal
or no additional case filings or convictions for the new offense under the bill. Because the bill is
not expected to have a tangible impact on criminal justice-related expenditures or revenue at
the state or local levels, these potential impacts are not discussed further in this fiscal note.
State Expenditures
The bill increases workload in DORA starting in FY 2024-25 to conduct outreach and education,
promulgate rules regarding VTSs and the appropriate supervision and delegation of veterinary
care tasks, and issue VTS designations. This increase is absorbable within existing resources, and
no change in appropriations is required.
Effective Date
The bill takes effect 90 days following adjournment of the General Assembly sine die, assuming
no referendum petition is filed.
State and Local Government Contacts
Regulatory Agencies
The revenue and expenditure impacts in this fiscal note represent changes from current law under the bill for each
fiscal year. For additional information about fiscal notes, please visit: leg.colorado.gov/fiscalnotes.