Animal Shelter Medical Records Bill Signed Into Law By Gov. Newsom

A bill aimed at requiring animal shelter veterinarians to report on animal injuries and treatment along with other criteria was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday.

Senate Bill 1478, authored by Senator Janet Nguyen (R-Huntington Beach), specifically authorizes the order established by the veterinarian that authorizes a registered veterinary technician to perform animal health care services to include, among other things, information pertaining to time periods by which an impounded animal is required to be assessed at intake and monitored while in the custody of an agency, protocols to address the treatment of common medical conditions encountered in impounded animals, and communication requirements between the registered veterinary technician and the supervising veterinarian.

In layman’s terms, the bill will require shelter veterinarians to make notations on animal medical charts for injured and diseased animals along with euthanasia criteria, as well as authorizing veterinarian technicians to perform a variety of health care services and require shelters to create a standardized time period for assessing impounded animals.

Senator Nguyen wrote the bill following the deaths of several dogs in shelters because of no veterinarian intervention. In one incident highlighted by the Senator, a husky who had been hit by a car had gone three days without veterinarian intervention and died due to no notations being listed on their medical chart.

Earlier this year, Nguyen introduced the bill to the Senate. The bill quickly gained bipartisan co-signers and received unanimous support through every committee. This included a 39-0 Senate vote in May and a 72-0 Assembly vote earlier this month, with only 7 Democrats not voting. As the bill had so much support, it was seen as a lock in getting signed into law. On Monday, it happened, with Governor Newsom signing the bill into law.

“The story of that husky is horrifying. How many other pets endure this fate in our taxpayer-funded animal shelters?” said Senator Nguyen following the signing of SB 1478. “I had to do something about this and worked with the California Veterinarian Medical Association to ensure we got it right. Animals have no voice, so I will be their voice. Thank you to Gov. Newsom for signing this bill.”

On X, Nguyen added, “My bill that sets a standard for shelter medical records for injured and diseased animals was signed into law today by Gov. Newsom. It was a long road to this point and SB 1478 is just the beginning of shelter oversight.”

My bill that sets a standard for shelter medical records for injured and diseased animals was signed into law today by Gov. Newsom. It was a long road to this point and SB 1478 is just the beginning of shelter oversight. Thank you to coauthors @JoshNewmanOC @DianeDixonAD72 pic.twitter.com/8TO0DndNvq

— Senator Janet Nguyen (@SenJanetNguyen) August 19, 2024

“This bill was a no brainer for passage,” added Capitol staffer “Dana” on Monday to the Globe. “The bill makes total sense for animal welfare. There are no added state costs and literally just has shelter vets and workers be more directed in their job. Plus it benefits pets and will save some. Both Democrats and the GOP had no problem with this bill, and there was more positives than negatives for everyone.

“The trickier bills are coming. So Newsom is getting the ones everyone is behind out now, because each week is going to be more and more controversial from here.”

Governor Newsom is expected to continue signing and veto laws well into September.