North Carolina HB 512: Emergency Care/Animals/Veterinary Practice.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 2
HOUSE BILL 512
Committee Substitute Favorable 4/8/25

Short Title: Emer. Care/Animals/Vet. Practice. (Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
March 26, 2025
*H512-v-2*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO PROVIDE AN EXEMPTION TO THE PRACTICE OF VETERINARY 2
MEDICINE FOR EMERGENCY PERSONNEL WHO RENDER EMERGENCY 3
MEDICAL SERVICES TO AN INJURED K-9 POLICE ANIMAL OR AN INJURED 4
SEARCH AND RESCUE DOG AT THE SCENE OF AN EMERGENCY. 5
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
SECTION 1.(a) G.S. 90-187.10 reads as rewritten: 7
"§ 90-187.10. Necessity for license; certain practices exempted. 8
No individual shall engage in the practice of veterinary medicine without having a veterinary 9
license from the Board. No person, as defined in G.S. 90-181(5), may own a veterinary facility 10
without having a veterinary facility permit from the Board. 11
Nothing in this Article shall be construed to prohibit: 12
... 13
(13) Emergency medical services personnel, as defined in G.S. 131E-155, except 14
that individuals solely credentialed as emergency medical dispatchers shall 15
not be considered emergency medical services personnel for purposes of this 16
subdivision, who may provide emergency medical transport or emergency 17
medical services to an injured K-9 police unit animal or an injured certified 18
search and rescue dog deployed by or contracted to work with a federal, State, 19
or local agency or department at the scene of an emergency." 20
SECTION 1.(b) Article 7 of Chapter 131E of the General Statutes is amended by 21
adding a new section to read: 22
"§ 131E-155.2. Emergency medical treatment for K-9 unit or search and rescue dog; 23
limited immunity. 24
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, emergency medical services personnel shall not 25
be prosecuted for providing emergency medical transport or emergency medical services to an 26
injured K-9 police unit animal or an injured search and rescue dog if the emergency medical 27
services personnel acted in good faith when providing emergency medical transport or 28
emergency medical services to an injured K-9 police unit animal or an injured search and rescue 29
dog at the scene of an emergency. The immunity established by this section does not extend to 30
gross negligence, wanton conduct, or intentional wrongdoing that would otherwise be actionable. 31
For purposes of this section, a search and rescue dog is defined as a dog certified by any national 32
certification organization that is deployed by or contracted to work with a federal, State, or local 33
agency or department, and individuals solely credentialed as emergency medical dispatchers 34
shall not be considered emergency medical services personnel." 35

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 512-Second Edition
SECTION 2. This act is effective 30 days after it becomes law and applies to acts 1
on or after that date. 2