Senate File 250 - Introduced



                                       SENATE FILE         
                                       BY  LUNDBY


    Passed Senate, Date               Passed House,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to dogs housed in animal shelters and pounds by
  2    providing for the administration of rabies vaccinations.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 2756SS 81
  5 da/sh/8

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 169.4, Code 2005, is amended by adding
  1  2 the following new subsection:
  1  3    NEW SUBSECTION.  16.  A qualified person who administers
  1  4 rabies vaccinations to dogs which are housed in an animal
  1  5 shelter or pound as provided in section 351.35.
  1  6    Sec. 2.  NEW SECTION.  351.1  DEFINITIONS.
  1  7    As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise
  1  8 requires:
  1  9    1.  "Animal shelter" means the same as defined in section
  1 10 162.2, and which operates pursuant to a certificate of
  1 11 registration issued by the department pursuant to section
  1 12 162.4.
  1 13    2.  "Department" means the department of agriculture and
  1 14 land stewardship.
  1 15    3.  "Pound" means the same as defined in section 162.2, and
  1 16 which operates pursuant to a certificate of registration
  1 17 issued by the department pursuant to section 162.3.
  1 18    Sec. 3.  Section 351.35, Code 2005, is amended to read as
  1 19 follows:
  1 20    351.35  HOW AND WHEN RABIES VACCINATION ADMINISTERED.
  1 21    1.  The A rabies vaccination required by section 351.33
  1 22 shall be administered as follows:
  1 23    a.  By an injection of an antirabies vaccine approved by
  1 24 the state department of agriculture and land stewardship, and
  1 25 the.  The frequency of revaccination necessary for approved
  1 26 vaccinations shall be as established by such the department.
  1 27 The vaccine shall be administered by a licensed veterinarian
  1 28 and shall be given as
  1 29    b.  In a manner approved by the state department of
  1 30 agriculture and land stewardship.  The
  1 31    c.  By a veterinarian licensed under section 169.4 or a
  1 32 qualified person who cares for dogs which are housed in an
  1 33 animal shelter or pound.  A person becomes qualified by
  1 34 administering at least twenty=five vaccinations under the
  1 35 supervision of a licensed veterinarian who is associated with
  2  1 the animal shelter or pound.  The qualified person shall only
  2  2 administer a vaccination to a dog which is housed in the
  2  3 animal shelter or pound.
  2  4    2.  A veterinarian or qualified person as provided in this
  2  5 section shall issue a tag with the certificate of vaccination,
  2  6 and such.  The tag shall at all times be attached to the
  2  7 collar of the dog.
  2  8                           EXPLANATION
  2  9    This bill provides for the care of animals housed in an
  2 10 animal shelter or pound.  Under Code chapter 162, an animal
  2 11 shelter is an establishment owned or operated by a nonprofit
  2 12 organization and a pound is operated by the state or a
  2 13 political subdivision.  In both cases, they are organized for
  2 14 the humane treatment of animals and are certified by the
  2 15 department of agriculture and land stewardship.
  2 16    The bill provides for the vaccination of dogs for rabies.
  2 17 Code sections 351.33 and 351.35 require that a dog's owner
  2 18 must have the dog vaccinated by a veterinarian.  The bill
  2 19 provides that a person other than a veterinarian may
  2 20 administer a vaccine if the person cares for dogs which are
  2 21 housed in an animal shelter or pound.  The bill provides that
  2 22 in order to be qualified, the person administering the
  2 23 vaccination must have administered at least 25 vaccinations
  2 24 under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian.  The bill
  2 25 also provides that this is an exception to the general
  2 26 prohibition in Code section 169.4 which prohibits persons who
  2 27 are not licensed as veterinarians from practicing veterinary
  2 28 medicine.
  2 29 LSB 2756SS 81
  2 30 da:nh/sh/8