ARIZONA STATE SENATE

JASON THEODOROU

LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH ANALYST

COMMERCE COMMITTEE

Telephone: (602) 926-3171

RESEARCH STAFF

TO:                  MEMBERS OF THE SENATE

COMMERCE COMMITTEE

DATE:            March 21, 2022

SUBJECT:      Strike everything amendment to H.B. 2014, relating to cat declawing

Purpose

            Allows a licensed veterinarian to perform the declawing, onychectomy or tendonectomy of a cat only if the procedure is for a therapeutic purpose.

Background

The Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board (Board) is established to protect the public from unlawful, incompetent, unqualified, impaired or unprofessional practitioners of veterinary medicine through licensure and regulation of the profession in Arizona (A.R.S.
§ 32-2207).

Statute defines veterinarian as a person who has received a doctor's degree in veterinary medicine from a veterinary college (A.R.S. § 32-2201). Acts that constitute the practice of veterinary medicine include: 1) diagnosing or prognosticating any animal condition, disease, deformity, defect, wound or injury; and 2) prescribing or administering any drug, medicine, treatment, method or practice, performing any operation or manipulation, or applying any apparatus or appliance for the cure, amelioration, correction or modification of any animal condition, disease, deformity, defect, wound or injury (A.R.S. § 32-2231).

There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.

Provisions

1. Allows a veterinarian to perform or cause to be performed the declawing, onychectomy or tendonectomy of a cat only if:

a) the veterinarian is licensed by the Board; and

b) the procedure is for a therapeutic purpose.

2. Requires a veterinarian who performs a declawing, onychectomy or tendonectomy on a cat to keep record of the procedure for at least four years after the veterinarian's last contact with the cat.

3. Requires the record to include all of the following:

a) the name and address of the cat's owner;

b) a physical description of the cat;

c) the date of the procedure;

d) the reason the procedure was performed; and

e) any diagnostic opinion and any analysis or test result that supports the diagnostic opinion.

4. Subjects a veterinarian in violation of the cat declawing requirements to the following:

a) a civil penalty of $1,000 for a first violation;

b) a civil penalty of $1,500 for a second violation; and

c) a license suspension or revocation for a third or subsequent violation.

5. Defines the following:

a) declawing or onychectomy;

b) tendonectomy; and

c) therapeutic purpose.

6. Makes technical and conforming changes.

7. Becomes effective on the general effective date.