Senate committee advances bill to require electronic import health certificates for dogs

Senator Umberg, the bill—s author, told the Senate Agriculture Committee that SB 312 would require dog importers to submit health certificates electronically to the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and to buyers within 10 days of shipment. "What SB 312 does is it mandates that dog importers submit health certificates electronically to California Department of Agriculture and to buyers within 10 days of shipment," Umberg said.

The bill—s sponsors and animal-welfare groups said the measure aims to increase transparency in an online market they described as prone to fraud and cruelty. "This is why in 2014, the ASPCA sponsored AB 1809, which required certificates of health to accompany dogs coming into the state for the purpose of resale," Britney Benesee of the ASPCA testified. Juliana Tetlow of the San Diego Humane Society said, "By…