HB2261 - 532R

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 32-2214, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE32-2214. Examination of applicants; confidentiality

A. All applicants for a veterinary license, not including a veterinary faculty member license, shall be given a state examination.

B. Examinations shall be held in January and June of each year unless otherwise provided by the board.

C. The take an examination shall consist that consists of the following:

1. A state examination approved by the board.

2. The North American veterinary licensing examination.

D. B. The state examination shall be so both:

1. Held in January and June of each year unless otherwise provided by the board.

2. Conducted so that the members of the board do not know the name of the applicant until the judging or grading is officially completed.

E. C. A grade of at least seventy‑five per cent shall be percent is required to successfully pass the North American veterinary licensing examination. A grade of at least seventy‑five per cent shall be percent is required to successfully pass the state examination. The scores of the North American veterinary licensing examination and the state examination shall not be averaged. National board scores that are received from either the national examination committee or the North American veterinary licensing examination committee from another state may be accepted for part of an applicant's passing score.

F. D. An applicant's score that was received within the preceding five years and that is on record at the national examination service or the North American veterinary licensing examination committee shall be verified through either the national examination service or the North American veterinary licensing examination committee, unless the applicant is applying for a license by endorsement or a specialty license under section 32‑2215, subsection C or D, in which case the applicant's score shall be transcribed and received by the board.

G. E. All examination materials, records of examination grading and performance and transcripts of educational institutions concerning applicants or licensees are confidential and not public records. END_STATUTE

Sec. 2. Section 32-2215, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE32-2215. Qualifications for license to practice veterinary medicine

A. An applicant for a license issued under this chapter shall:

1. Be of good moral character.

2. Be a graduate of a veterinary college that is accredited by the American veterinary medical association or hold a certificate issued by the educational commission for foreign veterinary graduates, the program for the assessment of veterinary education equivalence or a foreign graduate testing program approved by the board. This paragraph does not apply to an applicant for a veterinary faculty member license.

3. Satisfactorily pass an both a state examination given approved by the board as provided in this chapter and The North American veterinary licensing examination. This paragraph does not apply to an applicant for a veterinary faculty member license.

B. An applicant may be denied licensure either before or after an examination if the applicant has committed any act that if committed by a licensee would be grounds for suspension or revocation of a license to practice veterinary medicine under this chapter.

C. The board may waive the examination requirements requirement pursuant to section 32‑2214, subsection C A, paragraph 2 and, except as provided in subsection E of this section, may issue a license by endorsement to an applicant to practice veterinary medicine if the applicant provides all required documentation pursuant to section 32‑2213 and meets the following requirements:

1. The applicant Holds an active license in one or more other states or in Canada and submits verification that the applicant has previously taken and passed the examination required by section 32‑2214, with a score at least equal to the score required to pass in this state. An applicant who received original licensure before the examination required by section 32‑2214 was required in the state in which the applicant was originally licensed may be eligible for licensure without having taken that examination as required pursuant to this chapter if all other requirements are met.

2. The applicant has been Lawfully and actively engaged engages in the practice of veterinary medicine for at least three of the preceding five years or six of the preceding ten years in one or more states in this country or in Canada before filing an application for licensure in this state.

3. The applicant Has graduated from a veterinary college recognized by the board.

4. The applicant Successfully passes a state examination approved by the board. with a grade of at least seventy‑five per cent is required to successfully pass the examination percent.

5. The applicant Pays a fee for the license of seven hundred fifty dollars.

D. The board may waive the examination requirements requirement pursuant to section 32‑2214, subsection C A, paragraph 2 and, except as provided in subsection E of this section, may issue a specialty license to an applicant to practice veterinary medicine if the applicant provides all required documentation pursuant to section 32‑2213 and meets the following requirements:

1. The applicant Holds a current certification as a specialist of a national specialty board or college recognized by the American veterinary medical association.

2. Limits the applicant's practice is limited to the scope of the applicant's board certification.

3. The applicant Successfully passes a state examination approved by the board with a score of at least seventy‑five per cent percent.

4. The applicant Pays a fee for the specialty license of seven hundred fifty dollars.

E. The board shall determine if whether previous disciplinary action prevents licensure by endorsement or specialty licensure of an applicant to practice veterinary medicine, and the board may discipline the licensee at the time of licensure as a result of the previous disciplinary action. END_STATUTE

Sec. 3. Section 32-2216, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE32-2216. Issuance of temporary permits; emergency temporary permits; definition

A. The board may issue temporary permits to veterinary license applicants and to veterinarians who are licensed in other states and who enter this state to provide voluntary services during a state of emergency as declared by the governor or the board of supervisors of the county in which the board of supervisors has declared a local emergency pursuant to section 26‑311. Except for applicants who are veterinary faculty members, applicants for all temporary permits must be graduates of an American veterinary medical association accredited veterinary college or holders of a certificate from the educational commission for foreign veterinary graduates or from a program for the assessment of veterinary education at the time of application.

B. The temporary permit issued under this section entitles a veterinary license applicant to engage in the active practice of veterinary medicine in this state as an employee of a licensed veterinarian, the this state or any county or municipality in this state. Such The applicant shall be is eligible for the next examination, if the applicant has not violated any provision of this chapter. Such An applicant working under the direct and personal instruction, control or supervision of a licensed veterinarian and whose compensation is paid by such the veterinarian may perform those acts of animal health care assigned by the veterinarian having responsibility for the care of the animal. The temporary permit described in this subsection expires twenty days after the examination. If the applicant fails for good and sufficient reason to take the examination, the board, by majority consent, may extend the permit until the next succeeding examination. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the holder of a temporary permit must be examined and satisfactorily pass the license examination next following the issuance of the permit and duly receive a license in order to continue active professional practice. The temporary permit may be extended only one time. For the purposes of this subsection, "direct and personal instruction, control or supervision" means that a veterinarian who is licensed by the board is physically present and personally supervising a temporary permittee when the permittee is practicing acts of veterinary medicine except if the permittee is at a temporary site for the purpose of delivering services to large animals or if the permittee is administering emergency services not during regular office hours. In these cases, phone contact constitutes direct and personal instruction, control or supervision.

C. If an employer, for any reason, terminates the employment of the applicant, the employing veterinarian shall notify the board and the temporary permit described in subsection B of this section is immediately void.

D. An emergency temporary permit that is issued to an individual who is a veterinarian licensed in good standing in another state entitles the individual to provide voluntary veterinary care during a state of emergency or local emergency for the sole purpose of assisting in care related to that emergency. The emergency temporary permit expires ninety days after the date of issuance or at the end of the state of emergency or local emergency, whichever occurs first. An applicant for an emergency temporary permit shall submit a complete application, including information regarding veterinary licensure in any other state and verification that the statutes and rules pertaining to the board have been reviewed. The board shall verify whether the veterinarian is licensed in the state or states indicated and confirm the applicant's good standing. The applicant is not required to pass the state veterinary examination. A veterinarian who is issued an emergency temporary permit under this section shall practice in accordance with all laws and rules related to the practice of veterinary medicine in this state. The board may investigate any alleged violation by a holder of an emergency temporary permit and take disciplinary action as prescribed in this chapter. A veterinarian granted an emergency temporary permit under this section is a licensed, certified or authorized emergency responder pursuant to section 49‑133 and an emergency worker as defined in section 26‑301.

E. For the purposes of this section, "emergency temporary permit" means a temporary permit that is issued to a veterinarian who is licensed in another state and who enters this state to provide voluntary services during a state of emergency as declared by the governor or a local emergency declared by a county board of supervisors pursuant to section 26‑311. END_STATUTE

Sec. 4. Section 32-2217, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE32-2217. Employees of the state or political subdivisions; license

The board shall issue a license to any person who is not licensed by examination to practice veterinary medicine in the this state and who is employed as a veterinarian by the this state, not including by a university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents, or any political subdivision thereof of this state. An applicant for a license under the terms of this section shall make written application therefor apply in writing to the board as required by section 32‑2213 and shall meet the qualifications prescribed by section 32‑2215, with the exception of except for section 32‑2215, subsection A, paragraph 3. The holder of a license issued under the terms of this section shall engage only in such actions of the practice of veterinary medicine as shall be are authorized by the board, and in no event shall may not perform acts of practice be performed for any person or firm other than the this state or the political subdivision employing the licensee. The licensee shall be is subject to the rules of the board and the provisions of this chapter relating to unprofessional or dishonorable conduct. A license expires on December 31 of every even numbered even-numbered year unless suspended or revoked. A license is renewable for two years on payment of the renewal fee. The fee for issuance of the license shall be is five dollars in even numbered even-numbered years and ten dollars in odd numbered odd-numbered years, and the biennial renewal fee shall be is ten dollars. The license shall be revoked upon on termination of employment of the licensee. END_STATUTE