E- Source An electronic newsletter highlighting veterinary issues for Illinois veterinarians
November 15, 2004 Volume II, Number 15
In This Issue · Legislative Update · CIVMA Annual Meeting & Seminar · Legislative Relationships Contact Us peter@isvma.org	Update on Legislation HB184 (PA93-548) passed the General Assembly on May 27, 2003 and was signed into law by the Governor on August 19, 2003. The law is awkwardly constructed and has led to some confusion and misinterpretation. A portion of the law deals with micro-chipping of dogs and cats. There are three issues surrounding micro-chipping contained in the law: 1. PA93-548 does not require counties to mandate micro-chipping. A county may, however, require micro-chipping by passing a county ordinance. PA93-548 indicates that a clinic for micro-chipping companion animals of county residents “should” be conducted once a year under the direction of the county administrator at the animal control facility. It is important to note that the law uses a permissive word (should) rather than a requiring word (shall) when discussing the micro-chipping clinics. Counties, therefore, are not mandated to have a micro-chipping clinic. 2. If a county passes an ordinance requiring a micro-chipping clinic, the charge for micro-chipping is capped at $15.00. 3. The law calls for a microchip to be operating on a frequency of 125 kilohertz. Chips of 125 kilohertz, however, are not universally utilized and this specific requirement creates problems in reading the chips in every area. ISVMA is in the process of working with the Federation of Animal shelters to correct some of the problems in PA93-548. Future E-SOURCE newsletters will update ISVMA members on issues and developments regarding this and other important legislative and regulatory issues impacting the veterinary profession. Reminder: CIVMA Annual Fall Meeting and Seminar The Central Illinois Veterinary Medical Association is holding its Annual Fall Meeting and Seminar this Friday, November 19 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield. The meeting will be held from 8:30 a.m. until 4:15 p.m. and will include the following sessions: “Approaching the Most Common Cancers in Companion Animals” – Dr. Timothy Fan “Feline Hyperthyroidism” – Dr. David Herring “Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation” – Dr. Steve Jacobs “Important Dental Concepts for the Small Animal Practitioner” – Dr. Larry Baker “Ophthalmic Examination Techniques and Common Diseases” – Dr. Steve Sisler “Managing the Mystery Poisoning Patient” – Dr. Sharon Gwaltney This meeting qualifies for 6.0 hours of continuing education credit. For more information or to register for the meeting contact Dr. Nicholas Primm at (217) 483-6000. Your Involvement Counts! The response to the recent ISVMA Spay/Neuter Survey was excellent. We appreciate the few minutes that respondents took to fill out the on-line survey form. The information collected by the survey is being compiled and the results will be reviewed and utilized by the ISVMA Legislative Committee and lobbyists to help influence the proposed legislation. The veterinary profession is well-represented by ISVMA before the legislature and regulatory agencies. The strength of that representation, however, comes from the involvement of veterinarians in the 118 representative and 59 senatorial districts in Illinois. Most members of the Illinois legislature have a relationship with a veterinarian – either as a client, friend or professional acquaintance. ISMVA has been collecting information on relationships between veterinarians and legislators for several weeks. If you have not filled out a Legislative Relationship Form, please let us know a relationship you have with a member of the Illinois General Assembly. It could be your friendship or client relationship that will make the difference in the outcome of a future, important legislative proposal. If you haven’t done so already, please fill out the Legislative Relationship Form at: http://www.isvma.org/LegislativeRelSurvey.htm