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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to veterinary practices; creating s. 2
474.2021, F.S.; providing a short title; authorizing 3
licensed veterinarians to practice veterinary 4
telehealth in accordance with specified criteria; 5
specifying the powers of the Board of Veterinary 6
Medicine related to the practice of telehealth; 7
specifying the conditions under which a veterinarian 8
may practice veterinary telehealth; specifying the 9
drugs a veterinarian practicing telehealth may not 10
provide under specified circumstances; providing 11
specific authorizations for cases where a patient is a 12
food-producing species; amending s. 474.2165, F.S.; 13
conforming provisions to changes made by the act; 14
amending s. 828.30, F.S.; authorizing certain persons 15
to administer rabies vaccinations to certain animals 16
under indirect supervision of a veterinarian; 17
providing supervising veterinarian assumes 18
responsibility for specified people who provide 19
vaccinations; defining the term "indirect 20
supervision"; amending ss. 474.203, 767.16, and 21
828.29, F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made by 22
the act; providing an effective date. 23
24
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 25
HB 849 2024
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Section 1. Section 47 4.2021, Florida Statutes, is created 27
to read: 28
474.2021 Veterinary telehealth. — 29
(1) This section may be cited as the "Providing Equity in 30
Telehealth Services Act." 31
(2) A veterinarian who holds a current license to practice 32
veterinary medicine in this state may practice veterinary 33
telehealth. For purposes of this section, the term "telehealth" 34
has the same meaning as in s. 456.47(1). 35
(3) The board has jurisdiction over a veterinarian 36
practicing veterinary telehealth, regardless of where the 37
veterinarian's physical office is located. The practice of 38
veterinary medicine is deemed to occur at the premises where the 39
patient is located at the time the veterinarian practices 40
veterinary telehealth. 41
(4) A veterinarian practicing veterinary telehealth: 42
(a) May not engage in the practice of veterinary 43
telehealth unless it is within the context of a 44
veterinarian/client/patient relationship; 45
(b) Must practice in a manner consistent with his or her 46
scope of practice and the prevailing professional standard o f 47
practice for a veterinarian who provides in -person veterinary 48
services to patients in this state; 49
(c) May use telehealth to perform a patient evaluation. If 50
HB 849 2024
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a veterinarian practicing telehealth conducts a patient 51
evaluation sufficient to diagnose and t reat the patient, the 52
veterinarian is not required to research a patient's medical 53
history or conduct a physical examination of the patient before 54
using veterinary telehealth to provide a veterinary health care 55
service to the patient; and 56
(d) Must prescribe all drugs and medications in accordance 57
with all federal and state laws. A veterinarian practicing 58
veterinary telehealth may order, prescribe, or make available 59
medicinal drugs or drugs as defined in s. 465.003. A 60
veterinarian may not use telehealth to prescribe a controlled 61
substance listed in Schedule II of s. 893.03. 62
(5) A veterinarian personally acquainted with the caring 63
and keeping of an animal or group of animals on food -producing 64
animal operations on land classified as agricultural pursuant to 65
s. 193.461 who has recently seen the animal or group of animals 66
or has made medically appropriate and timely visits to the 67
premises where the animal or group of animals is kept may 68
practice veterinary telehealth for animals on such operations. 69
Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 474.2165, Florida 70
Statutes, is amended to read: 71
474.2165 Ownership and control of veterinary medical 72
patient records; report or copies of records to be furnished. — 73
(1) As used in this section, the term "records owner" 74
means any veterinarian who generates a medical record after 75
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making an a physical examination of, or administering treatment 76
or dispensing legend drugs to, any patient; any veterinarian to 77
whom records are transferred by a previous records owner; or any 78
veterinarian's employer, provided the employment contract or 79
agreement between the employer and the veterinarian designates 80
the employer as the records owner. 81
Section 3. Subsections (1) and (3) of section 828.30, 82
Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 83
828.30 Rabies vaccination of dogs, cats, and ferrets. — 84
(1)(a) All dogs, cats, and ferrets 4 months of age or 85
older must be vaccinated by a licensed veterinarian or a person 86
authorized under paragraph (b) against rabies with a vaccine 87
that is licensed by t he United States Department of Agriculture 88
for use in those species. 89
(b) Acting under the indirect supervision of a 90
veterinarian, an employee, an agent, or a contractor of a county 91
or municipal animal control authority or sheriff may vaccinate 92
against rabies dogs, cats, and ferrets in the custody of an 93
animal control authority or a sheriff that will be transferred, 94
rescued, fostered, adopted, or reclaimed by the owner. The 95
supervising veterinarian assumes responsibility for any person 96
vaccinating animals at his or her direction or under his or her 97
direct or indirect supervision. As used in this paragraph, the 98
term "indirect supervision" means that the supervising 99
veterinarian is required to be available for consultation 100
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through telecommunications but is no t required to be physically 101
present during such consultation. 102
(c) The owner of every dog, cat, and ferret shall have the 103
animal revaccinated 12 months after the initial vaccination. 104
Thereafter, the interval between vaccinations shall conform to 105
the vaccine manufacturer's directions. The cost of vaccination 106
must be borne by the animal's owner. Evidence of circulating 107
rabies virus neutralizing antibodies may shall not be used as a 108
substitute for current vaccination in managing rabies exposure 109
or determining the need for booster vaccinations. 110
(3) Upon vaccination against rabies, the licensed 111
veterinarian shall provide the animal's owner and the animal 112
control authority with a rabies vaccination certificate. Each 113
animal control authority and veterinarian sha ll use the "Rabies 114
Vaccination Certificate" of the National Association of State 115
Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) or an equivalent form 116
approved by the local government that contains all the 117
information required by the NASPHV Rabies Vaccination 118
Certificate. The veterinarian who administers the rabies 119
vaccination or who supervises the administration of the rabies 120
vaccination as provided in paragraph (1)(b) vaccine to an animal 121
as authorized required under this section may affix his or her 122
signature stamp in lieu of an actual signature. 123
Section 4. Paragraph (a) of subsection (5) of section 124
474.203, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 125
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474.203 Exemptions. —This chapter does not apply to: 126
(5)(a) Any person, or the person's regular employee, 127
administering to the ills or injuries of her or his own animals, 128
including, but not limited to, castration, spaying, and 129
dehorning of herd animals, unless title is transferred or 130
employment provided for the purpose of circumventing this law. 131
This exemption does not apply to any person licensed as a 132
veterinarian in another state or foreign jurisdiction and 133
practicing temporarily in this state. However, except as 134
provided in s. 828.30, only a veterinarian may immunize or treat 135
an animal for diseases that are communica ble to humans and that 136
are of public health significance. 137
138
For the purposes of chapters 465 and 893, persons exempt 139
pursuant to subsection (1), subsection (2), or subsection (4) 140
are deemed to be duly licensed practitioners authorized by the 141
laws of this state to prescribe drugs or medicinal supplies. 142
Section 5. Subsection (2) of section 767.16, Florida 143
Statutes, is amended to read: 144
767.16 Police canine or service dog; exemption. — 145
(2) Any dog used as a service dog for blind, hearing 146
impaired, or disabled persons that bites another animal or a 147
human is exempt from any quarantine requirement following such 148
bite if the dog has a current rabies vaccination that was 149
administered as provided in s. 828.30 by a licensed 150
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veterinarian. 151
Section 6. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) and paragraph 152
(b) of subsection (2) of section 828.29, Florida Statutes, are 153
amended to read: 154
828.29 Dogs and cats transported or offered for sale; 155
health requirements; consumer guarantee. — 156
(1) 157
(b) For each dog offered for sale w ithin the state, the 158
tests, vaccines, and anthelmintics required by this section must 159
be administered by or under the direction of a veterinarian, 160
licensed by the state and accredited by the United States 161
Department of Agriculture, who issues the official certificate 162
of veterinary inspection. The tests, vaccines, and anthelmintics 163
must be administered before the dog is offered for sale in the 164
state, unless the licensed, accredited veterinarian certifies on 165
the official certificate of veterinary inspection t hat to 166
inoculate or deworm the dog is not in the best medical interest 167
of the dog, in which case the vaccine or anthelmintic may not be 168
administered to that particular dog. Each dog must receive 169
vaccines and anthelmintics against the following diseases and 170
internal parasites: 171
1. Canine distemper. 172
2. Leptospirosis. 173
3. Bordetella (by intranasal inoculation or by an 174
alternative method of administration if deemed necessary by the 175
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attending veterinarian and noted on the health certificate, 176
which must be administered in this state once before sale). 177
4. Parainfluenza. 178
5. Hepatitis. 179
6. Canine parvo. 180
7. Rabies, provided the dog is over 3 months of age and 181
the inoculation is administered as provided in s. 828.30 by a 182
licensed veterinarian . 183
8. Roundworms. 184
9. Hookworms. 185
186
If the dog is under 4 months of age, the tests, vaccines, and 187
anthelmintics required by this section must be administered no 188
more than 21 days before sale within the state. If the dog is 4 189
months of age or older, the tests, vaccines, and anthelmintics 190
required by this section must be administered at or after 3 191
months of age, but no more than 1 year before sale within the 192
state. 193
(2) 194
(b) For each cat offered for sale within the state, the 195
tests, vaccines, and anthelmintics required by this section must 196
be administered by or under the direction of a veterinarian, 197
licensed by the state and accredited by the United States 198
Department of Agriculture, who issues the official certificate 199
of veterinary inspection. The tests, vaccines, and anthelmintics 200
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must be administered before the cat is offered for sale in the 201
state, unless the licensed, accredited veterinarian certifies on 202
the official certificate of veterinary inspection that to 203
inoculate or deworm the cat is not in the best medical interest 204
of the cat, in which case the vaccine or anthelmintic may not be 205
administered to that particular cat. Each cat must receive 206
vaccines and anthelmintics against the following diseases and 207
internal parasites: 208
1. Panleukopenia. 209
2. Feline viral rhinotracheitis. 210
3. Calici virus. 211
4. Rabies, if the cat is over 3 months of age and the 212
inoculation is administered as provided in s. 828.30 by a 213
licensed veterinarian . 214
5. Hookworms. 215
6. Roundworms. 216
217
If the cat is under 4 months of age, the tests, vaccines, and 218
anthelmintics required by this section must be administered no 219
more than 21 days before sale within the state. If the cat is 4 220
months of age or older, the tests, vaccines, and anthelmintics 221
required by this section must be administered at or after 3 222
months of age, but no more than 1 year before sale within the 223
state. 224
Section 7. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 225