EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
Italics indicate opposite chamber/conference committee amendments.
*hb0325*
HOUSE BILL 325
M4, J1 (3lr1524)
ENROLLED BILL
— Environment and Transportation/Education, Energy, and the Environment —
Introduced by Delegates Terrasa, Lehman, Allen, Attar, Chang, Forbes, Grossman,
Guyton, Kaiser, R. Lewis, McCaskill, McComas, Palakovich Carr, Pasteur,
Ruth, Stewart, Taveras, and Wu
Read and Examined by Proofreaders:
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
Sealed with the Great Seal and presented to the Governor, for his approval this
_______ day of _______________ at ________________________ o’clock, ________M.
______________________________________________
Speaker.
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Provision of Veterinary Services – Routine Medical Care Practice of Veterinary 2
Medicine and Rabies Vaccines 3
FOR the purpose of authorizing the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners to issue 4
a license to an animal control facility to administer rabies vaccines; requiring the 5
State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners to establish a certain process to 6
authorize a certain veterinary practitioner licensed to practice veterinary medicine 7
in another state or jurisdiction to provide routine medical care become licensed to 8
practice veterinary medicine in the State under certain circumstances; requiring the 9
Secretary of Health to allow individuals who work in or for a certain veterinary 10
hospital or a certain animal control facility certain individuals to administer rabies 11
vaccines under certain circumstances; and generally relating to the provision of 12
veterinary services in the State. 13 2 HOUSE BILL 325
BY repealing 1
Article – Agriculture 2
Section 2–304(e) 3
Annotated Code of Maryland 4
(2016 Replacement Volume and 2022 Supplement) 5
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 6
Article – Agriculture 7
Section 2–304(f) and 2–305 8
Annotated Code of Maryland 9
(2016 Replacement Volume and 2022 Supplement) 10
BY adding to 11
Article – Agriculture 12
Section 2–305.1 13
Annotated Code of Maryland 14
(2016 Replacement Volume and 2022 Supplement) 15
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 16
Article – Health – General 17
Section 18–313 18
Annotated Code of Maryland 19
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2022 Supplement) 20
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 21
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 22
Article – Agriculture 23
2–304. 24
[(e) (1) The Board may authorize the practice of a health occupation on an 25
animal by a health care practitioner licensed, certified, or otherwise authorized under the 26
Health Occupations Article. 27
(2) If the Board authorizes the practice of a health occupation on an animal 28
under paragraph (1) of this subsection, the Board may: 29
(i) Impose requirements for education, training, and supervision by 30
a veterinary practitioner; and 31
(ii) Require the registration of each health care practitioner 32
authorized to practice a health occupation on an animal in accordance with this subsection.] 33
HOUSE BILL 325 3
[(f)] (E) On or before December 31 each year, the Board shall report to the 1
Governor and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General 2
Assembly on the Board’s disciplinary activities for the previous fiscal year. 3
2–305. 4
(a) In this section, “animal control facility” means a humane society, as defined in 5
§ 10–601 of the Criminal Law Article, or a county or municipal designated animal shelter. 6
(b) The Board, on terms and conditions satisfactory to the Board, may issue a 7
license to an animal control facility to allow the animal control facility to administer 8
[drugs]: 9
(1) DRUGS needed to sedate, euthanize, or sedate and euthanize animals; 10
AND 11
(2) RABIES VACCINES IN AC CORDANCE WITH § 18–313 OF THE 12
HEALTH – GENERAL ARTICLE. 13
(c) (1) (i) The owner of an animal control facility shall apply for the license. 14
(ii) The Board shall issue a license in the name of the owner of an 15
animal control facility. 16
(2) The application shall designate one individual at the facility responsible 17
for the drugs AND RABIES VACCINES . 18
(3) The annual license fee is $100. 19
(d) In accordance with procedures set out in § 2–311 of this subtitle, the Board 20
may: 21
(1) Reject an application for a license; or 22
(2) Suspend or revoke a license for failure to comply with the Board’s 23
regulations. 24
(e) An animal control facility licensed under this section shall comply with the 25
Board’s requirements relating to employee training. 26
(f) A member of the Board, or the Board’s designated inspector, may enter an 27
animal control facility licensed under this section at any reasonable hour to enforce the 28
Board’s regulations. 29
(g) In consultation with the Maryland Department of Health, the Board shall 30
adopt regulations necessary to carry out this section. 31 4 HOUSE BILL 325
2–305.1. 1
(A) (1) THE BOARD MAY AUTHORIZE T HE PRACTICE OF A HEA LTH 2
OCCUPATION ON AN ANI MAL BY A HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER LICENSE D, 3
CERTIFIED, OR OTHERWISE AUTHORI ZED UNDER THE HEALTH OCCUPATIONS 4
ARTICLE. 5
(2) IF THE BOARD AUTHORIZES THE PRACTICE OF A HEALTH 6
OCCUPATION ON AN ANI MAL UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION , THE 7
BOARD MAY: 8
(I) IMPOSE REQUIREMENTS F OR EDUCATION , TRAINING, AND 9
SUPERVISION BY A VET ERINARY PRACTITIONER ; AND 10
(II) REQUIRE THE REGISTRAT ION OF EACH HEALTH C ARE 11
PRACTITIONER AUTHORI ZED TO PRACTICE A HE ALTH OCCUPATION ON A N ANIMAL 12
IN ACCORDANCE WITH T HIS SUBSECTION . 13
(B) (1) THE BOARD SHALL ESTABLISH AN EXPEDIT ED PROCESS TO 14
AUTHORIZE A VETERINA RY PRACTITIONE R LICENSED, CERTIFIED, OR OTHERWISE 15
AUTHORIZED WHO HOLDS A CURRENT , VALID LICENSE TO PRACTICE VETERINA RY 16
MEDICINE IN ANOTHER STATE OR JURISDICTIO N TO PROVIDE ROUTINE MEDI CAL 17
CARE IN THE STATE IF THE VETERINA RY PRACTITIONER : 18
(I) WILL PROVIDE THE SERVICES TO AN ANIMA L SHELTER, AS 19
DEFINED IN § 2–1701 OF THIS TITLE, LOCATED IN THE STATE; AND 20
(II) IS NOT OTHERWISE PROH IBITED FROM PRACTICI NG 21
VETERINARY MEDICINE DUE TO A KNOWN ETHIC S OR CRIMINAL VIOLAT ION. 22
(2) THE ROUTINE MEDICAL C ARE PROVIDED BY A VETERINARY 23
PRACTITIONER AUTHORI ZED TO PRACTICE VETE RINARY MEDICINE UNDE R 24
PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION M AY INCLUDE: 25
(I) SPAYING AND NEUTERING ; 26
(II) VACCINATIONS; 27
(III) HEALTH EXAMINATIONS ; AND 28
(IV) COMPLETING CERTIFICAT IONS OF HEALTH BECOME 29
LICENSED TO PRACTICE VETERINARY MEDICINE IN THE STATE. 30
HOUSE BILL 325 5
Article – Health – General 1
18–313. 2
The Secretary of Health shall provide a statewide system: 3
(1) To control rabies; 4
(2) To grant authority to the public health veterinarian and the local health 5
officer in matters pertaining to the disposition of animals that bite or otherwise expose 6
rabies to an individual; 7
(3) To assist local political subdivisions regarding the laboratory testing of 8
rabid animals; 9
(4) To treat each individual who is exposed or suspected of having been 10
exposed to rabies; [and] 11
(5) To distribute, in accordance with the conditions set by the Secretary of 12
Agriculture, the biological products that are needed to prevent and treat rabies; AND 13
(6) TO ALLOW INDIVIDUALS WHO WORK IN O R FOR A VETERINARY 14
HOSPITAL, AS DEFINED IN § 2–304.1 OF THE AGRICULTURE ARTICLE A VETERINARY 15
TECHNICIAN, AS DEFINED IN § 2–301 OF THE AGRICULTURE ARTICLE, OR OTHER 16
CLINICAL STAFF WHO W ORK IN OR FOR AN ANI MAL SHELTER , AS DEFINED IN § 17
2–1701 OF THE AGRICULTURE ARTICLE, OR AN ANIMAL CONTROL FACILITY, AS 18
DEFINED IN § 2–305 OF THE AGRICULTURE ARTICLE, TO ADMINISTER RABIES 19
VACCINES IF: 20
(I) FOR AN INDIVIDUAL WOR KING IN OR FOR A VET ERINARY 21
HOSPITAL, THE VETERINARY HOSPI TAL IS LICENSED UNDE R § 2–304.1 OF THE 22
AGRICULTURE ARTICLE; 23
(II) FOR AN INDIVIDUAL WOR KING IN OR FOR AN AN IMAL 24
CONTROL FACILITY , THE THE ANIMAL SHELTER OR ANIMAL CONTROL FACIL ITY IS 25
LICENSED TO ADMINIST ER DRUGS UNDER § 2–305 OF THE AGRICULTURE ARTICLE; 26
AND 27
(III) THE RABIES VACCINE IS AD MINISTERED IN ACCORD ANCE 28
WITH APPLICABLE PROT OCOLS FOR LICENSED V ETERINARIANS 29
(II) THE ANIMAL BEING VACC INATED IS UNDER THE CUSTODY 30
OR CONTROL OF AN ANI MAL SHELTER OR ANIMA L CONTROL FACILITY ; 31
6 HOUSE BILL 325
(III) THE VETERINARY PRACTI TIONER WHO SIGNS THE RABIES 1
VACCINATION CERTIFIC ATE HAS ENSURED THAT THE INDIVIDUAL ADMIN ISTERING 2
THE RABIES VACCINE W AS APPROPRIATELY TRA INED ON ADMINISTERIN G RABIES 3
VACCINES, INCLUDING PROPER STO RAGE, HANDLING, ADMINISTRATION , AND 4
MANAGEMENT OF ADVERS E REACTIONS; AND 5
(IV) THE INDIVIDUAL ADMINI STERING THE VACCINE IS 6
IDENTIFIED ON THE RA BIES VACCINATION CER TIFICATE. 7
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, on or before December 1, 8
2023, the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners shall report to the General 9
Assembly, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, on: 10
(1) the status of establishing an expedited process for a veterinary 11
practitioner who holds a valid, current license to practice veterinary medicine in another 12
state or jurisdiction to become licensed to practice veterinary medicine in the State as 13
authorized under Section 1 of this Act; and 14
(2) any financial support needed to implement the expedited process. 15
SECTION 2. 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 16
October 1, 2023. 17
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.