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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 the practice of veterinary 2
medicine; amending s. 474.201, F.S.; conforming 3
provisions to changes made by the act; amending s. 4
474.202, F.S.; providing definitions; amending s. 5
474.204, F.S.; revising the membership of the Board of 6
Veterinary Medicine; creating s. 474.223, F.S.; 7
requiring the board to adopt specified rules; 8
establishing application criteria for persons who 9
desire to become licensed as veterinary technicians; 10
establishing application criteria for persons who are 11
licensed as veterinary technicians; authorizing 12
licensed veterinary technicians or technologists to 13
perform specified services under the supervision of 14
licensed veterinarians; requiring supervising 15
veterinarians to determine the appropriate level of 16
supervision in the performance of such services unless 17
otherwise provided for by board rule or general law; 18
providing considerations for supervising 19
veterinarians; providing that licensed veterinarians 20
are responsible for all services performed by licensed 21
veterinary technicians or technologists; providing 22
services that only licensed veterinarians may make or 23
provide; authorizing a supervising veterinarian to 24
delegate to a licensed veterinary technician the 25
HB 767 2025
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responsibility of supervising certain tasks performed 26
by unlicensed persons; prohibiting persons from making 27
specified representations; prohibiting veterinary 28
assistants from identifying as veterinarian 29
technicians or licensed veterinarian technicians 30
unless certain conditions are met; providing a 31
penalty; amending s. 828 .30, F.S.; conforming 32
provisions to changes made by the act; providing an 33
effective date. 34
35
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 36
37
Section 1. Section 474.201, Florida Statutes, is amended 38
to read: 39
474.201 Purpose.—The Legislature finds that the practice 40
of veterinary medicine is potentially dangerous to the public 41
health and safety if conducted by incompetent and unlicensed 42
practitioners and veterinary technicians . The legislative 43
purpose in enacting this chapter is to ensure th at every 44
veterinarian and licensed veterinary technician practicing in 45
this state meet minimum requirements for safe practice. It is 46
the legislative intent that veterinarians and licensed 47
veterinary technicians who are not normally competent or who 48
otherwise present a danger to the public shall be disciplined or 49
prohibited from practicing in this state. 50
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Section 2. Subsections (6) through (12), (13), and (14) of 51
section 474.202, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections 52
(7) through (13), (15), and (19), respectively, and new 53
subsections (6), (14), (16), (17), and (18) are added to that 54
section, to read: 55
474.202 Definitions. —As used in this chapter: 56
(6) "Licensed veterinary technician" means a person who 57
practices veterinary technology in this st ate and is licensed 58
under the authority of this chapter. 59
(14) "Veterinary assistant" means a person who practices 60
on a veterinary team providing medical care for animals who is 61
not a licensed veterinary technician. 62
(16) "Veterinary technician" means a person who has 63
graduated with an associate degree from a veterinary technology 64
training program accredited by the American Veterinary Medical 65
Association Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and 66
Activities (CVTEA). 67
(17) "Veterinary technologist" means a person who has 68
graduated with a bachelor's degree from a veterinary technology 69
training program accredited by the CVTEA. 70
(18) "Veterinary technology" means the science and art of 71
providing certain aspects of the medical care and treatment of 72
patients within an established veterinarian/client/patient 73
relationship by a veterinary technician or veterinary 74
technologist that is delegated and supervised by a veterinarian. 75
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The term does not include the diagnosis, surgery, or the 76
prescription of medicatio ns or appliances. 77
Section 3. Subsection (2) of section 474.204, Florida 78
Statutes, is amended to read: 79
474.204 Board of Veterinary Medicine. — 80
(2)(a) Five members of the board shall be licensed 81
veterinarians. 82
(b) One member of the board shall be a licensed veterinary 83
technician who has been actively engaged in the practice of 84
veterinary technology for at least 5 years immediately preceding 85
the date of appointment to the board. 86
(c) One member of the board shall be a layperson Two 87
members of the board shall be laypersons who is are not and has 88
have never been a veterinarian or member veterinarians or 89
members of any closely related profession or occupation. 90
Section 4. Section 474.223, Florida Statutes, is created 91
to read: 92
474.223 Licensed vet erinary technicians. — 93
(1) The board shall adopt rules to regulate the profession 94
and practice of veterinary technology. 95
(2) A person may become licensed as a veterinary 96
technician if he or she applies to the board and: 97
(a) Submits a completed applica tion and remits the fee set 98
by the board. 99
(b) Has graduated from a college program of veterinary 100
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technology accredited by the American Veterinary Medical 101
Association Committee on Veterinary Technicians Education and 102
Activities (CVTEA). 103
(c) Has obtained a passing score on the Veterinary 104
Technician National Exam, as determined by the American 105
Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB). 106
(d) Demonstrates knowledge of the laws and rules governing 107
the practice of veterinary technology in this state in a manner 108
designated by rules of the board. 109
(3) A person who is a certified veterinary technician in 110
good standing with the Florida Veterinary Technician Association 111
or the Florida Veterinary Medical Association may become 112
licensed as a veterinary technici an if he or she: 113
(a) Submits a completed application and remits the fee set 114
by the board. 115
(b) Demonstrates knowledge of the laws and rules governing 116
the practice of veterinary technology in this state in a manner 117
designated by rules of the board. 118
(4) A veterinary technician or a veterinary technologist 119
must be licensed under this section to perform the following 120
veterinary technology services under the supervision of a 121
licensed veterinarian: 122
(a) Arterial and central venous catheterization. 123
(b) Euthanasia, under the immediate supervision of a 124
veterinarian. 125
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(c) Intraperitoneal injections. 126
(d) Placement of gastric, nasoesophageal, and nasogastric 127
tubes. 128
(e) Suture or staple skin lacerations, gingival incisions, 129
or existing surgical incisions. 130
(f) Paravertebral blocks and epidurals. 131
(g) A complex single root extraction that is beyond a 132
simple digital extraction of a tooth that requires periosteal 133
elevation but does not require sectioning of the tooth or of the 134
bone. 135
(h) Blood or blood compo nent collection, preparation, and 136
administration for transfusion or blood banking purposes. 137
(i) Ear flushing with powered mechanical devices creating 138
pressure or suction. 139
(j) A thoracentesis or an abdominocentesis. 140
(k) Application of casts, splints, and slings for the 141
immobilization of fractures. 142
(l) Placement of an epidural, an intraosseous, or a nasal 143
catheter. 144
(m) Administering rabies vaccinations, under the immediate 145
supervision of a veterinarian. 146
(n) Examinations performed within a previous ly established 147
veterinarian/client/patient relationship for routine health care 148
needs, followup treatment, or accepted animal husbandry on 149
livestock, excluding an examination required for the purpose of 150
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state or federal health certificates. 151
(5) Unless otherwise provided for in this section or 152
designated by board rule, the supervising veterinarian shall 153
determine the appropriate level of supervision and protocol for 154
a service under subsection (4). All other tasks may be performed 155
by licensed or unlicensed persons at the discretion of the 156
supervising veterinarian. In determining the appropriate level 157
of supervision, the veterinarian must consider the level of 158
training and experience of the person to whom the task is 159
delegated. However, the licensed veterinar ian is responsible for 160
all services performed by such persons, regardless of licensure, 161
and only a licensed veterinarian may make or provide any 162
diagnosis, perform any surgery, or prescribe any medicinal 163
drugs, as defined in s. 465.003(15), or controlled s ubstances, 164
as defined in s. 893.02(4). 165
(6) A supervising veterinarian may, in his or her 166
discretion, delegate to a licensed veterinary technician the 167
responsibility of supervising a task performed by an unlicensed 168
person, except for a service under subse ction (4). 169
(7)(a) A person may not: 170
1. Lead another person to believe that he or she is a 171
licensed veterinary technician or is engaged in the licensed 172
practice of veterinary technology unless he or she holds a 173
valid, active license under this section. 174
2. Use the name or title "licensed veterinary technician" 175
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if he or she is not licensed pursuant to this section. 176
(b) A veterinary assistant may not identify himself or 177
herself as a veterinary technician or a licensed veterinary 178
technician unless he or she is a graduate of an accredited 179
veterinary technology program or licensed under this chapter, as 180
applicable. 181
(c) A person who violates this subsection commits a 182
misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 183
775.082 or s. 775.083. 184
Section 5. Subsection (1) of section 828.30, Florida 185
Statutes, is amended to read: 186
828.30 Rabies vaccination of dogs, cats, and ferrets. — 187
(1)(a) All dogs, cats, and ferrets 4 months of age or 188
older must be vaccinated by a licensed veterinarian , a licensed 189
veterinary technician under the immediate supervision of a 190
veterinarian, or a person authorized under paragraph (b) against 191
rabies with a vaccine that is licensed by the United States 192
Department of Agriculture for use in those species. 193
(b) Acting under the indirect supervision of a 194
veterinarian, an employee, an agent, or a contractor of a county 195
or municipal animal control authority or sheriff may vaccinate 196
against rabies dogs, cats, and ferrets that are in the custody 197
of an animal control authority or a sheriff and which will be 198
transferred, rescued, fostered, adopted, or reclaimed by the 199
owner. The supervising veterinarian assumes responsibility for 200
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any person vaccinating animals at his or her direction or under 201
his or her direct or indirect supervisi on. As used in this 202
paragraph, the term "indirect supervision" means that the 203
supervising veterinarian is required to be available for 204
consultation through telecommunications but is not required to 205
be physically present during such consultation. 206
(c) The owner of every dog, cat, and ferret shall have the 207
animal revaccinated 12 months after the initial vaccination. 208
Thereafter, the interval between vaccinations shall conform to 209
the vaccine manufacturer's directions. The cost of vaccination 210
must be borne by the animal's owner. Evidence of circulating 211
rabies virus neutralizing antibodies may not be used as a 212
substitute for current vaccination in managing rabies exposure 213
or determining the need for booster vaccinations. 214
Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 215