CHAPTER 101
SB 162 - FINAL VERSION
2023 SESSION
23-0808
08/05
SENATE BILL 162
AN ACT relative to exemptions from rabies vaccinations for dogs, cats, and ferrets.
SPONSORS: Sen. Pearl, Dist 17
COMMITTEE: Energy and Natural Resources
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ANALYSIS
This bill makes the initial period for an exemption from the rabies vaccination for dogs, cats, and animals annual with the recertification of a veterinarian.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
23-0808
08/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Three
AN ACT relative to exemptions from rabies vaccinations for dogs, cats, and ferrets.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
101:1 Rabies Vaccinations; Dogs, Cats and Ferrets; Exemptions. Amend RSA 436:100, II to read as follows:
II. A rabies immunization exemption may be issued, where illness or a veterinary medical condition warrants, by the local rabies control authority upon the written recommendation of a veterinarian licensed under RSA 332-B. The recommendation shall also be signed by an American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine diplomate and the state veterinarian. The exemption shall be valid for one year. After the initial one year has expired and if the animal still qualifies for the exemption, the exemption shall be recertified by a veterinarian licensed under RSA 332-B on an annual basis. The exempted animal shall be maintained in strict rabies isolation, under conditions that are at the discretion of the local rabies control authority, until such time as the medical condition has been resolved and the animal can be immunized against rabies. Exempted animals shall not be allowed outdoors without being on a leash and shall be under the direct physical control of an adult owner at all times. In addition, when the animal is outdoors, it shall be muzzled in a manner approved by the local rabies control authority. [The exemption shall be valid for no more than one year from the date of the last signature on the written recommendation for exemption.]
101:2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.
Approved: June 20, 2023
Effective Date: July 01, 2023