North Carolina will soon mandate veterinarians to declare gabapentin useDecember 20, 2023As part of Gov. Roy Cooper’s North Carolina Opioid and Substance Use Action Plan, he signed into law this past June a new requirement to report the use of the pain management medication
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Access to safe, effective medication central to reauthorized animal drugs billOctober 17, 2023Providing veterinarians access to more safe and effective animal drugs is central to the recently reauthorized Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA) and the Animal Generic Drug User Fee Act (AGDUFA).
Addressing rural vet shortages focus of bipartisan billSeptember 25, 2023The Rural Veterinary Workforce Act, formerly known as the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) Enhancement Act, has been reintroduced in both the House and the Senate.
New legislation ensures immunization of imported dogsMay 20, 2020Protecting America’s dogs and people from parasites and contagious disease is central to a new bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Racehorse safety focus of California billJanuary 9, 2020Following almost 40 deaths of racehorses in California, new legislation has been launched to improve equine veterinary care at racetracks across the state.
Animal cruelty now a federal crimeNovember 27, 2019President Donald Trump has signed a bipartisan bill that now makes animal cruelty a federal felony.
Senate votes to make animal cruelty a felonyNovember 6, 2019The U.S. Senate has voted unanimously to advance the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, following House passage of the bill on Oct. 22.
House passes bill to make animal cruelty a felonyOctober 23, 2019Animal cruelty is now a federal felony. U.S. lawmakers have passed the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, closing legal loopholes in previous legislation. The new law builds on the Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act, which was passed in 2010. While it made the creation, sale, and distribution of animal "crushing" videos illegal, these acts of cruelty against animals remained legal. The videos are often made for profit. American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) president John Howe, DVM, applauded the legislation. "[The] passage of the PACT Act is an important step toward improving animal welfare by criminalizing the cruel and inhumane act of animal crushing," Dr. Howe said. "This legislation also provides key safeguards to ensure enforcement correctly targets bad actors without incidentally ensnaring farmers and ranchers, hunters, researchers, or other groups. AVMA looks forward to working with the Senate to advance this bill." If the Senate passes the bill, those prosecuted and convicted will face fines and up to seven years in prison.
