Kansas City Veterinary Medical Association

KVMA Fights Effort to Combine Oversight of State Agencies

by Jen Nigro

The Kansas Veterinary Medical Association has succeeded in its efforts to amend legislation that would streamline state government through the creation of a commission to oversee all fully fee-funded state agencies. KVMA Executive Vice President Gary Reser says prior to the KVMA’s amendment, the bill included a wide range of agencies, from those relating to physicians and veterinarians to those regulating accountants, barbers and tattoo artists. The commission would have had sweeping authority to merge, downsize or even eliminate any of the agencies under its authority. Reser says the KVMA was concerned that kind of authority might lead to a mega-commission with little or no expertise in any one area. “In states where that has happened it just has not worked and the public has suffered because there’s nobody in an agency like that who can know everything.” Reser also feared the change could lead to fewer or less thorough inspections, thereby impacting quality and service.

Reser says he contacted around 90 House members in hopes of garnering their support. The effort paid off, and though the amendment must still pass the Senate, it has House approval.

Also on the KVMA’s radar screen is a Senate bill that could help protect veterinarians and their staff from lawsuits. Senate Bill 374 states that any expression of apology, sympathy, compassion or benevolent act by a health care provider is not admissible as evidence in a malpractice lawsuit. The KVMA supported the legislation early on when veterinarians and other professionals were included; veterinarians have since been removed. Reser says KVMA intends to lobby in favor of returning veterinarians to the list of protected professionals once the bill reaches the House.

Finally, the KVMA has stopped legislation that would create an “I’m Pet Friendly” logo for Kansas license plates—at least for now. House Bill 2255 would allow people to purchase the special plates for $25 to $100 with royalties going to the humane Kansas legislative network, the legislative action arm of the Humane Society of the United States. The organization supports pet rights like guardianship over ownership, an issue KVMA does not support. The bill was tabled in the House Transportation Committee.

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