Pennsylvania HB 2620: An Act providing for water hardship funds and for powers and duties of the Public Utility Commission and the Auditor General.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 3576
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 2620
Session of
2026
INTRODUCED BY STENDER, FRITZ, GILLEN, GREEN, JAMES, KEPHART,
ROWE AND ZIMMERMAN, JUNE 9, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE, JUNE 10, 2026
AN ACT
Amending the act of December 27, 1974 (P.L.995, No.326),
entitled "An act regulating the practice of veterinary
medicine and imposing penalties," further providing for
definitions, for Pennsylvania State Board of Veterinary
Medical Examiners and for additional duties of board of
examiners and veterinary technicians; providing for scope of
practice for veterinary technicians and veterinary nurses;
and further providing for biennial educational requirements,
for records and inspection of records, for penalties and for
exemptions and exceptions.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 3(5), (8), (9), (10), (13), (14) and (15)
of the act of December 27, 1974 (P.L.995, No.326), known as the
Veterinary Medicine Practice Act, are amended and the section is
amended by adding definitions to read:
Section 3. Definitions.--As used in this act:
* * *
(5) "Current licensee or certificate holder" means the
holder of a current license to practice veterinary medicine or
the holder of a certificate [of veterinary technician] as a
veterinary technician or veterinary nurse, which license or
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certificate was issued under this act and which has not been
suspended or revoked and has not expired.
* * *
(8) "Licensed doctor of veterinary medicine" or "licensed
veterinarian" means a person qualified by educational training
and experience in the science and techniques of veterinary
medicine and who is currently
licensed by the board to practice veterinary medicine.
(9) "Veterinary medicine" means that branch of medicine
which deals with the diagnosis, prognosis, treatment,
administration, prescription, operation or manipulation or
application of any apparatus or appliance for any disease, pain,
deformity, defect, injury, wound, physical condition or mental
condition requiring medication of any animal or for the
prevention of [or the testing for the presence of] any disease.
(10) "Practice of veterinary medicine" includes, but is not
limited to, the practice by any person who (i) diagnoses,
treats, corrects, changes, relieves or prevents animal disease,
deformity, defect, injury or other physical, mental or dental
conditions by any method or mode, including the prescription or
administration of any prescription drug, medicine, biologic,
apparatus, application, anesthetic or other therapeutic or
diagnostic substance or technique on any animal, (ii) performs a
surgical operation, including cosmetic surgery, upon any animal,
(iii) performs any manual, mechanical, biological or chemical
procedure upon an animal for [the diagnosis or treatment of
sterility or infertility of animals] reproductive management,
(iv) represents himself as engaged in the practice of veterinary
medicine, (v) offers, undertakes, or holds himself out as being
able to diagnose, treat, operate, vaccinate, or prescribe for
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any animal disease, pain, injury, deformity, or physical
condition, (vi) uses any words, letters, or titles in such
connection or under such circumstances as to induce the belief
that the person using them is engaged in the practice of
veterinary medicine and such use shall be prima facie evidence
of the intention to represent himself as engaged in the practice
of veterinary medicine, (vii) performs diagnostic veterinary
pathology, (viii) implants electronic identification, as
determined by the board, upon any animal, (ix) renders advice or
recommendation by any means, including the electronic
transmission of data with regard to any of the above, or (x)
removes any embryo from an animal for the purpose of
transferring such embryo into another animal or cryopreserving
such embryo, except it shall not be considered the practice of
veterinary medicine when: (a) a person or his full-time employe
removes or transfers an embryo from the person's own animals for
the purpose of transferring or cryopreserving the embryo so long
as ownership of the animal is not transferred or employment of
the person is not changed for the purpose of circumventing this
act or (b) a person independently, with indirect veterinary
supervision, implants any embryo into an animal.
* * *
(13) "Certified veterinary technician" or "certified
veterinary nurse" means an individual who has successfully
completed a board-approved post-high school program of
veterinary technology accredited by an accrediting agency for
veterinary technology programs recognized by the United States
Department of Education, is certified by the board as a
veterinary technician or veterinary nurse and [who may] practice
veterinary tech