1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to veterinary practice; changing certain 
  1.3             requirements; providing for certain licenses; amending 
  1.4             Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 156.12, subdivision 
  1.5             2, by adding a subdivision. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 156.12, 
  1.8   subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  1.9      Subd. 2.  [AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.] No provision of this 
  1.10  chapter shall be construed to prohibit: 
  1.11     (a) a person from rendering necessary gratuitous assistance 
  1.12  in the treatment of any animal when the assistance does not 
  1.13  amount to prescribing, testing for, or diagnosing, operating, or 
  1.14  vaccinating and when the attendance of a licensed veterinarian 
  1.15  cannot be procured; 
  1.16     (b) a person who is a regular student in an accredited or 
  1.17  approved college of veterinary medicine from performing duties 
  1.18  or actions assigned by instructors or preceptors or working 
  1.19  under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian; 
  1.20     (c) a veterinarian regularly licensed in another 
  1.21  jurisdiction from consulting with a licensed veterinarian in 
  1.22  this state; 
  1.23     (d) the owner of an animal and the owner's regular employee 
  1.24  from caring for and administering to the animal belonging to the 
  1.25  owner, except where the ownership of the animal was transferred 
  2.1   for purposes of circumventing this chapter; 
  2.2      (e) veterinarians employed by the University of Minnesota 
  2.3   from performing their duties with the College of Veterinary 
  2.4   Medicine, College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment 
  2.5   Station, Agricultural Extension Service, Medical School, School 
  2.6   of Public Health, or other unit within the university; or a 
  2.7   person from lecturing or giving instructions or demonstrations 
  2.8   at the university or in connection with a continuing education 
  2.9   course or seminar to veterinarians; 
  2.10     (f) any person from selling or applying any pesticide, 
  2.11  insecticide or herbicide; 
  2.12     (g) any person from engaging in bona fide scientific 
  2.13  research or investigations which reasonably requires 
  2.14  experimentation involving animals; 
  2.15     (h) any employee of a licensed veterinarian from performing 
  2.16  duties other than diagnosis, prescription or surgical correction 
  2.17  under the direction and supervision of the veterinarian, who 
  2.18  shall be responsible for the performance of the employee; 
  2.19     (i) a graduate of a foreign college of veterinary medicine 
  2.20  from working under the direct personal instruction, control, or 
  2.21  supervision of a veterinarian faculty member of the College of 
  2.22  Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota in order to 
  2.23  complete the requirements necessary to obtain an ECFVG 
  2.24  certificate; or 
  2.25     (j) a person from performing as a diagnostician at the 
  2.26  University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory if the 
  2.27  person meets the licensure requirements in subdivision 6. 
  2.28     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 156.12, is 
  2.29  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  2.30     Subd. 6.  [FACULTY LICENSURE.] (a) Veterinary Medical 
  2.31  Center clinicians at the College of Veterinary Medicine, 
  2.32  University of Minnesota who are engaged in the practice of 
  2.33  veterinary medicine as defined in subdivision 1 and who treat 
  2.34  animals owned by clients of the Veterinary Medical Center must 
  2.35  possess the same license required by other veterinary 
  2.36  practitioners in the state of Minnesota except for persons 
  3.1   covered by paragraphs (b) and (c). 
  3.2      (b) A specialty practitioner in a hard-to-fill faculty 
  3.3   position who has been employed at the College of Veterinary 
  3.4   Medicine, University of Minnesota for five years or more prior 
  3.5   to 2003 or is specialty board certified by the American 
  3.6   Veterinary Medical Association may be granted a specialty 
  3.7   faculty Veterinary Medical Center clinician license which will 
  3.8   allow the licensee to practice veterinary medicine in the state 
  3.9   of Minnesota in the specialty area of the licensee's training 
  3.10  and only within the scope of employment at the Veterinary 
  3.11  Medical Center. 
  3.12     (c) A specialty practitioner in a hard-to-fill faculty 
  3.13  position at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of 
  3.14  Minnesota who has graduated from a board-approved foreign 
  3.15  veterinary school may be granted a temporary faculty Veterinary 
  3.16  Medical Center clinician license.  The temporary faculty 
  3.17  Veterinary Medical Center clinician license expires in two years 
  3.18  and allows the licensee to practice veterinary medicine as 
  3.19  defined in subdivision 1 and treat animals owned by clients of 
  3.20  the Veterinary Medical Center.  The temporary faculty Veterinary 
  3.21  Medical Center clinician license allows the licensee to practice 
  3.22  veterinary medicine in the state of Minnesota in the specialty 
  3.23  area of the licensee's training and only within the scope of 
  3.24  employment at the Veterinary Medical Center.  The holder of a 
  3.25  temporary faculty Veterinary Medical Center clinician license 
  3.26  who is enrolled in a PhD program may apply for two two-year 
  3.27  extensions of an expiring temporary faculty Veterinary Medical 
  3.28  Center clinician license.  Any other holder of a temporary 
  3.29  faculty Veterinary Medical Center clinician license may apply 
  3.30  for one two-year extension of the expiring temporary faculty 
  3.31  Veterinary Medical Center clinician license.  Temporary faculty 
  3.32  Veterinary Medical Center clinician licenses that are allowed to 
  3.33  expire may not be renewed.  The board shall grant an extension 
  3.34  to a licensee who demonstrates suitable progress toward 
  3.35  completing the requirements of their academic program, specialty 
  3.36  board certification, or full licensure in Minnesota by a 
  4.1   graduate of a foreign veterinary college. 
  4.2      (d) Temporary and specialty faculty Veterinary Medical 
  4.3   Center clinician licensees must abide by all the laws governing 
  4.4   the practice of veterinary medicine in the state of Minnesota 
  4.5   and are subject to the same disciplinary action as any other 
  4.6   veterinarian licensed in the state of Minnesota. 
  4.7      (e) The fee for a license issued under this subdivision is 
  4.8   the same as for a regular license to practice veterinary 
  4.9   medicine in Minnesota.  License payment deadlines, late payment 
  4.10  fees, and other license requirements are also the same as for 
  4.11  regular licenses.