HB 1499-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2016 SESSION
\t16-2621
\t08/10
HOUSE BILL\t1499-FN
AN ACT\trelative to certificates for rabies vaccination of dogs, cats, or ferrets.
SPONSORS:\tRep. Ammon, Hills. 40; Rep. Goulette, Hills. 23
COMMITTEE:\tEnvironment and Agriculture
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ANALYSIS
\tThis bill requires that certificates for rabies vaccination of dogs, cats, or ferrets be produced in duplicate, not in triplicate, and the town or city not be sent a copy.
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Explanation:\tMatter added to current law appears in bold italics.
\t\tMatter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
\t\tMatter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
\t16-2621
\t08/10
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Sixteen
AN ACT\trelative to certificates for rabies vaccination of dogs, cats, or ferrets.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
\t1 Duplicate Certificates for Rabies Vaccinations of Certain Companion Animals. Amend RSA 436:102 to read as follows:
\t436:102 Duties of Veterinarian. It shall be the duty of each veterinarian, at the time of vaccinating any dog, cat, or ferret, to complete a certificate of rabies vaccination in [triplicate] duplicate which includes the following information: owner's name and address, description of dog, cat, or ferret (breed, sex, markings, age, name), date of vaccination, rabies vaccination tag number, type of rabies vaccine administered, manufacturer's serial number of vaccine, and the expiration date of the vaccination. Distribution of copies of the certificate shall be: the original to the owner, and one copy retained by the issuing veterinarian [and, within 40 days of the vaccination, one copy to the town or city clerk where the dog, cat, or ferret is kept]. The veterinarian and the owner shall retain their copies for the interval between vaccinations specified in RSA 436:100. A metal or durable plastic tag, serially numbered, shall be securely attached to the collar or harness of the dog. Whenever the dog is out-of-doors, off the owner's premises, and not under the control of the owner or handler while working the dog, the collar or harness with the vaccination tag shall be worn. For the purposes of this section, "working the dog'' means a dog doing a defined functional canine activity with its owner or handler such as hunting, field work, drafting, and guarding, working, or herding livestock, as defined in RSA 21:34-a, II(a)(4), or participating in any lawful competitive event, including, but not limited to, conformation shows or obedience trials, field trials, agility events, hunts, sled races, or training activities pertinent to functional canine activities. Cats and ferrets shall not be required to wear the collar or harness with the tag.
\t2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t16-2621
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t11/12/15
HB 1499-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT\trelative to certificates for rabies vaccination of dogs, cats, or ferrets.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Department of Agriculture Markets and Food states this bill, as introduced, may have an indeterminable impact on state and local expenditures in FY 2017 and in each year thereafter. There will be no fiscal impact on state, county, or local revenue or county expenditures.
METHODOLOGY:
The Department of Agriculture Markets and Food states this bill would eliminate the requirement for a veterinarian to distribute copies of the certificate of rabies vaccination to the town or city clerk where the animal is kept. The Department assumes the bill would be effective on July 1, 2016. The Department also assumes:
•\tThere would be no local list of dog owners to be shared with emergency responders, state homeland security, public health and disease control or animal cruelty investigators.
•\tIt would not be possible to track some dogs back to their owner or town of origin for confirmation of rabies vaccination. If such dogs bit or scratched humans or other dogs, it would be necessary to initiate post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). The average cost for PEP is approximately $4,000 and it is not known if the town, state, private insurance, or individuals would bear this cost.
•\tThere would be no change regarding the regulation of cats since no town currently licenses cats.
•\tThere may be an increase in the number of unlicensed, and therefore unidentifiable or, “stray” dogs since the local license number is the easiest way to trace dogs back to their owners.
The Department suggests, due to the above, there may be an indeterminable impact on local and state expenditures.
The New Hampshire Municipal Association states it is not able to identify any effect on municipal revenues or expenditures.