UPDATE: CA Medical Exemption Bill AB 2000 – On 8/2/10, California's Senate Appropriations Committee decided that the medical exemption bill AB 2000, Molly's Bill, "met the criteria for referral to the Suspense File," meaning that it will cost the state over $150,000 to implement http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_1951-2000/ab_2000_cfa_20100802_131733_sen_comm.html .
An Appropriations Committee hearing is scheduled for 8/12/10 to vote yes or no on all the suspense file bills – a yes vote will send a bill to the Senate floor, a no vote will kill the bill. Saulo Londono from AM Hagman's office told me today that his office has requested that the committee pull AB 2000 from the Suspense File and send it directly to the Senate floor for vote; he expects to hear back within 48 hours whether they will pull the bill or not.
UPDATE 8/13/10 California Medical Exemption AB 2000, "Molly's Bill" – Saulo Londono from AM Hagman's office just informed me that AB 2000, "Molly's Bill," was NOT voted out of the "Suspense File" at yesterday's Appropriations Committee hearing, which means that the bill will not go to the Senate for a floor vote, which it must do in order to become law. According to Mr. Londono, the Committee Chair's STAFF (Senator Christine Kehoe (Chair) senator.kehoe@sen.ca.gov Phone: (916) 651-4039 Fax: (916) 327-2188) determined that the bill doesn't merit the cost of implementing it. He believes that Senator Kehoe's staff is "playing politics" with this bill, and AM Hagman's office has contacted the Governor's office to see what can be done.
Mr. Londono will get back in touch with me next week to let us know what we dog owners can do.
URGENT–California AB 2000 Action Alert "Molly's Bill" – Please make 3 calls: Monica Wagoner Dept. Health (916) 440-7502, Appropriations Committee (916-651-4101), and Committee Chair Senator Kehoe (916) 651-4039. Tell them to stop playing politics with the lives of California's sick dogs and get this bill to the Senate Floor for passage.
Saulo Londono called from AM Hagman's office with an update. Apparently the problem with this bill lies with the Deputy Director of Legislative & Governmental Affairs in the Department of Health, Monica Wagoner (916) 440-7502, who claims they will need to hire a 1/2 time research scientist for 18 months at the cost of $160,000 to put this bill through the regulatory process. Other states, such as Maine, did not have to hire anyone to process their medical exemption regulations -- it appears that the Health Department is trying to use this bill as an excuse to hire an extra researcher. Monica Wagoner is the same person who wrote a letter to California legislators on June 8th opposing the rabies medical exemption after the mandatory quarantine clause was removed. Please call Monica Wagoner's office and tell her this cost is ridiculous, other states did not take 18 months to process a medical exemption clause into their regulations, and they did not have to hire a research scientist in order to do so.
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UPDATE "Molly's Bill" CALIFORNIA AB 2000 August 28: Saulo Londono from AM Hagman's office called to say that Senate Appropriations Committee Chair, Senator Christine Kehoe (916) 651-4039 "killed" the rabies medical exemption bill, AB 2000 "Molly's Bill" yesterday in committee by aligning all the Democrats on the Committee to vote against it strictly along party lines rather on the merit of the bill. Senator Kehoe's Chief of Staff reportedly told Saulo that this was "all about politics."
Remember this bill unanimously passed an Assembly floor vote (74-0) May 6th, and on July 15th received a unanimous 8-0 "DO PASS" vote from the Senate Health Committee. The Appropriations Committee should respect this strong vote of support from the Legislature and fund this bill. **Please direct any and all calls of concern to Senator Kehoe at (916) 651-4039.
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UPDATE "Molly's Bill" CALIFORNIA AB 2000 September 9. This bill unanimously passed an Assembly floor vote (74-0) May 6th, and on July 15th received a unanimous 8-0 "DO PASS" vote from the Senate Health Committee http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_1951-2000/ab_2000_bill_20100827_history.html . Thus, it was deemed by the California legislature to be medically meritorious and in need of enactment. The bill was then ?killed? by Senator Christine Kehoe and the Senate Appropriations Committee based solely on perceived fiscal needs and party line politics during this time of recession.
**Should any one residing in California have a dog justifiably in need of medical exemption from rabies booster vaccination, the fact that this bill unanimously passed both houses can be used as a rationale for rabies exemption at the local level.
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CALIFORNIA: Rabies Medical Exemption Petition http://www.change.org/petitions/view/california_take_action_to_help_dogs_too_ill_to_receive_the_rabies_vaccine for California residents. If the link to the petition does not work by clicking on it, simply copy and paste it into your browser. Please ask all the California residents you know to sign this petition.
Veterinary student Lisa Lippman has started a petition to get Rabies Medical Exemption legislation reintroduced in California. Lisa's story and another link to petition: http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/vet-student-assists-to-change-rabies-law-in-california.html
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CALIFORNIA Rabies Medical Exemption Bill AB 258 (Molly's Bill) http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/asm/ab_0251-0300/ab_258_bill_20110222_status.html has been referred to the Agriculture Committee. Please contact Committee members (especially Chair Galgiani (916) 319-2017 Assemblymember.Galgiani@assembly.ca.gov ) and ask that they vote "Ought to Pass."
2011 California Agriculture Committee http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/newcomframeset.asp?committee=53
Committee Phone (916) 319-2084
Cathleen Galgiani - Chair (916) 319-2017 Assemblymember.Galgiani@assembly.ca.gov
David G. Valadao - Vice Chair (916) 319-2030 Assemblymember.Valadao@assembly.ca.gov
Bill Berryhill (916) 319-2026 Assemblymember.Bill.Berryhill@assembly.ca.gov
Jerry Hill (916) 319-2019 Assemblymember.Hill@assembly.ca.gov
Fiona Ma (916) 319-2012 Assemblymember.Ma@assembly.ca.gov
Tony Mendoza (916) 319-2056 Assemblymember.Mendoza@assembly.ca.gov
Kristin Olsen (916) 319-2025 Assemblymember.Olsen@asm.ca.gov
Henry T. Perea (916) 319-2031 Assemblymember.Perea@assembly.ca.gov
Mariko Yamada (916) 319-2008 Assemblymember.Yamada@assembly.ca.gov
CALIFORNIA Rabies Medical Exemption Bill AB 258 Hearing Date April 6 http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/asm/ab_0251-0300/ab_258_bill_20110310_status.html before the Assembly Agriculture Committee. Please contact Committee Chair Cathleen Galgiani (916) 319-2017 Assemblymember.Galgiani@assembly.ca.gov and ask the committee to vote "ought to pass."
Please attend the hearing if you can and share this message with everyone you know in California, the more California pet owners the committee hears from, the more likely the bill will pass.
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CALIFORNIA Medical Exemption Bill AB 258 ("Molly's Bill") passed the Assembly Agriculture Committee yesterday 9-0 "on consent" http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/asm/ab_0251-0300/ab_258_bill_20110406_status.html and has been referred to the Appropriations Committee.
California Medical Exemption Bill AB 258 "Do Pass" 5/4/11 Appropriations Committee 17-0 vote http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/asm/ab_0251-0300/ab_258_bill_20110504_status.html
CALIFORNIA Rabies Waiver Bill AB 258 http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/asm/ab_0251-0300/ab_258_bill_20110531_status.html has a Senate Health Committee hearing on June 8, 2011. Contact Committee Chair Senator Ed Hernandez senator.hernandez@senate.ca.gov (916) 651-4024 and ask the committee to vote "OUGHT TO PASS."
CALIFORNIA Rabies Waiver Bill AB 258 (Molly's Bill) http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/asm/ab_0251-0300/ab_258_bill_20110608_status.html unanimously passed Senate Health Committee yesterday.
CALIFORNIA Rabies Waiver Bill AB 258 http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/asm/ab_0251-0300/ab_258_bill_20110620_amended_sen_v98.html amended in Senate on second reading 6/20/11 to include phrase: "that the veterinarian can verify and document."
California Rabies Medical Exemption Signed into Law
On Friday, October 7, 2011, California's Governor signed a rabies medical exemption into law, Molly's Bill (AB 258), , http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/asm/ab_0251-0300/ab_258_bill_20111007_chaptered.html . California is the 14th state to do so.
Please copy & paste link into browser if it doesn't work by clicking on it.
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