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Board of Veterinary Medicine presents temporary rule changes; division says fees to be reduced under cash-balance plan
Summary
Katie Stewart of the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses presented temporary rule docket 2043800 and 12501 for the Board of Veterinary Medicine, describing a board vote to decrease fees by up to 20% consistent with legislative intent to manage cash balances; committee did not vote on the temporary rules at this meeting.
Boise — The Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses presented temporary rule dockets for the Idaho Board of Veterinary Medicine, telling the Senate Agriculture Committee the board has voted to reduce many licensing fees and to leave fee-cap authority in place to allow future adjustments.
"In last year's session the legislature required DOPL to be cognizant of their cash balances through Senate Bill 1442," said Katie Stewart, bureau chief for the administration bureau at DOPL. She said the division took that intent seriously and sought to reduce fees where possible.
Stewart said the Board of Veterinary Medicine updated its rules to include "not more than" language that would allow the board to reduce fees in the future without rule changes. She told the committee the board has "voted to decrease their fees by 20%, which is in accordance with last year's cash balance plan that was approved by this legislature." The updated fee table was provided on page 28 of the temporary rules review book.
Senator Taylor asked why the euthanasia agency renewal fee appeared to increase substantially under the proposed schedule while other active-renewal fees were reduced or remained the same. Stewart explained this change is tied to the board's move to a biennial renewal cycle: some licenses had annual cycles and moving to biennial renewal effectively doubled a fee in some instances to align with the new two-year period, while other categories were already near their statutory caps and did not change.
Committee members did not vote on the temporary rules at this meeting; the vice chair said the committee's practice is to hear presentations on one day and vote at a subsequent meeting so members have time to review the materials.
What was presented
- Dockets: temporary rule docket numbers 2043800 and 12501 (Board of Veterinary Medicine temporary rules). - Rationale: Implementation of Senate Bill 1442 intent language to manage cash balances; temporary language includes "not more than" fee caps to allow decreases without immediate rulemaking. - Board action: The Board of Veterinary Medicine voted to decrease fees by approximately 20%; some license categories may see adjustments tied to a shift to biennial renewals.
What committee members asked
- Senator Taylor asked about the apparent increase for euthanasia agency renewals; DOPL staff said the change resulted from converting renewal cycles to biennial periods rather than a policy to raise rates.
Next steps
The committee will take up formal approval or objection to temporary rules at a subsequent meeting after members review the full temporary-rule packet. No fee changes take effect until rulemaking and any required approvals are completed.
