Working group revises veterinary practice bill; debate centers on telemedicine, foreign practitioners and impairment rules

Lawmakers convened a working group on Senate Bill 2129 to reconcile proposals from the Veterinary Medical Examiners Board and the North Dakota Veterinary Medical Association over how the state will regulate veterinary practice, telemedicine, and related exceptions.

The nut graf: The group reviewed a set of proposed amendments and reached agreement on several items, while leaving open questions about whether statute should use the term "accredited" or a more flexible "approved" program definition, how out‑of‑state ("foreign") practitioners may provide telemedicine to animals in North Dakota, and how to treat voluntary self‑referral and impairment in disciplinary proceedings.

Dr. Lyons (representing the Veterinary Medical Examiners Board) reviewed 13 proposed amendments. The board proposed using the term "approved program of veterinary medicine" in statute so the accrediting organization could be named in administrative rule rather than written in code; the North Dakota Veterinary Medical Association (NDVMA) urged retaining the word "accredited"…