| Summary |
Sunset Process - House Agriculture, Livestock, and Water
Committee. The bill implements recommendations of the department of
regulatory agencies, as specified in the department's sunset review of and
report on the Colorado Veterinary Practice Act (practice act), as
follows:
• Continues the practice act for 11 years, until September 1,
2033 (sections 1 and 2 of the bill);
• Requires a veterinarian to notify the board of veterinary
medicine (board) if the veterinarian suffers from a physical
illness or condition or a behavioral or mental health
disorder that renders the veterinarian unable to practice
with reasonable skill and safety (section 6);
• Repeals the requirement that the board send a letter of
admonition by certified mail (section 14);
• Requires veterinarians to create a written plan for the
storage, security, and disposal of patient records (section
18); and
• If the board has reasonable cause to believe a veterinarian
is unable to practice with reasonable skill and safety due to
a physical condition, authorizes the board to order the
veterinarian to submit to an examination and to suspend the
veterinarian's license for failing to comply with the board's
order (section 20).
The bill makes other amendments to the practice act as follows:
• Authorizes a person who is not a licensed veterinarian in
this state to administer rabies vaccinations in a clinic
setting under direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian,
or through the indirect supervision of a licensed
veterinarian if the person is working on behalf of an animal
shelter for shelter-owned animals (sections 9 and 22);
• Adds two members to the board who are veterinary
technicians (section 10);
• Requires credit hours of practice act jurisprudence as part
of veterinarians' continuing education program and permits
veterinarians to take nonbiomedical courses as part of the
program (section 12);
• Repeals and reenacts the veterinary peer health assistance
program to reorganize existing provisions, to allow
veterinary technicians access to the program, and to require
veterinary professionals, including veterinary technicians,
to self-refer to the program upon arrest for a drug- or
alcohol-related crime (section 19); and
• Creates the veterinary professional assistance program
funded through licensing fees to provide counseling,
education, coaching, and other services, as requested, to
veterinarians and veterinary technicians concerning issues
including physical and mental health and wellness,
workplace concerns, and legal and financial issues (section
19).
Section 21 creates the regulation of veterinary technicians.
Effective January 1, 2024, a person who practices as a veterinary
technician in this state must be registered by the board. To be registered,
a person must have been certified by a national body. For an individual
who is not yet nationally certified but who has been practicing as a
veterinary technician, the board may issue a provisional registration of
limited duration under specified circumstances. Veterinary technicians are
subject to discipline by the board for engaging in conduct that is grounds
for discipline.
Section 21 gives title protection to veterinary technicians and
grants standard registration, rule-making, and disciplinary powers to the
board. Section 21 repeals the regulation of veterinary technicians on
September 1, 2033, subject to and consistent with the sunset review of the
practice act.
Sections 3 through 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 13 through 17 amend
existing provisions throughout the practice act to include veterinary
technicians, as applicable, and make other conforming amendments.
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