AB 332 on Track to Unanimously Pass Full Assembly!
AB 332, the Shelter Animal Data Collection Act, authored by Assembly Member Alex Lee (D-San Jose) and sponsored by SCIL, has been placed on the "consent file" by the Assembly, meaning that Democrats and Republicans agree to pass the bill unanimously. The official vote is scheduled to take place tomorrow, Thursday, May 11th.
AB 332 will require the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to restore the collection of in-take and outcome data, including vaccination, adoption, and euthanasia figures from municipal animal shelters and make publicly available.
From 1995 through 2016, CDPH requested a variety of data from city and county animal shelters as part of its annual rabies control activities reporting and was posted on their website. The data was useful to advocates and policymakers, who used the information to identify regions of the state where certain program support was needed to reduce euthanasia rates and other adverse outcomes for animals in shelters and was particularly valuable for prioritizing funding.
The intent of this bill is to restore the collection of the data. This would include information specifically relating to dog and cats taken in stray or relinquished by owner, discharged by local animal control authorities, including, but not limited to, number reclaimed by owner, adopted by the public or a rescue organization, euthanized, died, or transferred to another shelter.
After the official passage from the Assembly Floor tomorrow, the bill will go to Senate Business and Professions Committee.
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