Report Title:

Animal Quarantine

Description:

Establishes procedures and requirements for the entry of dogs, cats, and other carnivores into the State without the need for quarantine.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

664

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

RELATING TO ANIMAL QUARANTINE.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The Legislature recognizes that the quarantine requirement for animals in the state of Hawaii is antiquated and does not serve the purpose for which it was originally established. In contemporary practice, the quarantine of dogs, cats, and other carnivores has been extremely onerous for the pet owner, and has imposed a financial burden on new residents. The Legislature also recognizes the need to keep our State rabies-free through implementing fail-safe methods in which to protect the State from this disease. The purpose of this Act is to establish procedures and requirements for the entry of dogs, cats, and other carnivores into the State without the need for quarantine.

SECTION 2. Chapter 142, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§142- Microchipping; Rabies vaccinations for domestic animals. Dogs, cats, or other animals in the order Carnivora shall be granted entry into the State without quarantine if the following requirements are met:

(1) An original, valid health certificate issued by a veterinarian not more than 14 days before arrival shall accompany dogs, cats, and other carnivores. The health certificate shall:

(A) Give a complete description of the animal including age, markings, identification numbers, sex, and breed;

(B) Declare that the animal was treated for fleas, ticks, and other external parasites except when a veterinarian provides a written statement that such treatment may be detrimental to the animal's health;

(C) List the name of the treatment used and date of the treatment;

(D) State that the animal was found to be free of external and intestinal parasites;

(E) Certify all requirements in paragraphs (2) to (5);

(F) Declare that the animal described has been inspected and appears to be free of any infectious or contagious diseases and, to the best of the issuing veterinarian's knowledge, exposure thereto;

(G) Contain a certification by the issuing veterinarian that the animal described has met all preshipment requirements;

(H) Contain an electronic microchip number to qualify for entry without quarantine;

(I) Contain an original signature and legible name, address and telephone number for the certifying veterinarian; and

(J) Be written in English.

(2) All dogs and cats at least ninety days of age at the time of arrival shall be vaccinated against rabies with an approved inactivated monovalent or live monovalent recombinant rabies vaccine as described in this section or in section 2. All dogs and cats shall:

(A) Be vaccinated with an inactivated monovalent or live monovalent recombinant rabies vaccine that has been licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture and that is marketed in the United States; and

(B) Have the product name, lot or serial number, and expiration date of the vaccine used listed on the health certificate;

(3) Dogs at least ninety days of age at the time of arrival shall be vaccinated not less than ten days and not more than one hundred eighty days prior to arrival against:

(A) Canine distemper virus;

(B) Canine infectious hepatitis virus or canine adenovirus-2;

(C) Canine parvovirus;

(D) Canine parainfluenza virus; and

(E) Bordetella bronchiseptica (kennel cough);

(4) Cats at least ninety days of age at the time of arrival shall be vaccinated not less than ten days and not more than one hundred eighty days prior to arrival against:

(A) Feline panleukopenia virus (feline viral enteritis);

(B) Feline viral rhinotracheitis (feline herpesvirus-1);

(C) Feline calicivirus; and

(D) Chlamydia psittaci (pneumonitis);

(5) Dogs, cats, and other carnivores residing in the State, and traveling outside the State, shall comply with all entry requirements set forth in this Act prior to and upon re-entry into the State. For the purposes of entry, returning to the State shall be considered the same as arriving from any area outside the State, with the exception of resident guide and service dogs who are allowed to depart the State and return, to permit their users to obtain necessary medical treatment that is unavailable in the State; and

(6) Species of the order Carnivora other than dogs and cats shall meet and comply with entry requirements of other departments or agencies. Cat or dog hybrids and other species shall meet and comply with entry requirements of other departments or agencies.

SECTION 3. (a) To be exempted from quarantine, dogs, cats, and other carnivores, except animals arriving from British Isles, Australia, or New Zealand shall:

(1) Prior to arrival, have a minimum of two vaccinations with an inactivated monovalent or live monovalent recombinant rabies vaccine licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture and that is marketed in the United States.

(A) If an animal has not been previously vaccinated for rabies, the age at primary vaccination shall be in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications on the product label or package insert;

(B) The second vaccination shall be administered not less than three months following the first vaccination, and the second vaccination or subsequent vaccination shall be administered not less than 90 days and not more than 12 months prior to arrival in Hawaii; and

(C) For the two most recent vaccinations, the product name, lot or serial number, expiration date, and date of vaccination shall be listed on the health certificate;

(2) Be identified by an implanted microchip and microchip number of a brand of implanted microchip. For the purposes of this Act, a microchip may be obtained from any public or private source. The brand of microchip from a public or private source shall have a unique numeric or alpha numeric numbering system, be manufactured in the United States, and be readable with a standard American Veterinary Identification Device scanner. The microchip number shall be included on the health certificate accompanying the animal and on the laboratory results of the preshipment Office of International Epizootics fluorescent antibody virus neutralization (OIE-FAVN) test. It shall be the owner's responsibility to have the microchip implanted not less than ninety days prior to arrival, by the manufacturer's prescribed method.

(3) Be tested by the OIE-FAVN test not less than 120 days and not more than 18 months prior to arrival by a testing laboratory approved by the board of agriculture.

(A) The serum shall contain at least 0.50 international unit (I.U.) per milliliter of rabies antibodies;

(B) The testing laboratory shall report the test results directly to the department of agriculture; and

(C) Identification of the OIE-FAVN test blood sample shall include the number of the implanted microchip, the name of the owner, and description of the animal, which shall include breed, sex, color, markings, and any visible physical characteristics. Test results shall not be considered valid unless all information listed in this subparagraph is present on the laboratory report;

(4) The owner shall:

(A) Notify the department of agriculture, by certified mail, of the animal's arrival not less than five days before the animal arrives in the State. The department of agriculture shall notify the animal's owner of the receipt of the information via mail within 14 days;

(B) Arrange to have the animal's veterinarian send all required health certificates to the department of agriculture, by certified mail, so the records are received by the department not less than five days before the animal arrives in the State; and

(C) Arrange to have the testing laboratory send all required OIE-FAVN test results to the department of agriculture, by certified mail, so the results are received by the department not less than five days before the animal arrives in the State.

(b) Dogs and cats may be subject to up to a one hundred and twenty days quarantine if the preshipment requirements of this section and section 2 are not met; provided that a dog or cat that meets all preshipment requirements except the five-day time requirements in subsection (a)(4)(A), (B), or (C), or any of the foregoing, shall be subject to quarantine long enough only to allow the department of agriculture to review the required health certificates and resolve any discrepancies, if necessary.

(c) Upon compliance with this Act, including any rules adopted thereunder, an animal shall be released to its owner, agent, or handler."

SECTION 4. Any dog, cat, and other animals in the order Carnivora arriving to the State from the British Isles, Australia, or New Zealand shall be exempted from this Act.

SECTION 5. The board of agriculture may adopt rules to carry out the purposes of this Act. The rules shall be adopted in accordance with chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

SECTION 6. This Act does not affect rights and duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were begun, before its effective date.

SECTION 7. If any provision of this Act, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of the Act, which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this Act are severable.

SECTION 8. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 9. This Act shall take effect upon its approval; provided that sections 2, 3, 4, and 5 shall apply to the entry of dogs, cats, and other animals in the order Carnivora into the State after December 31, 2003.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

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