By Madden                                             H.R. No. 1229

         75R16882 BNL-D                           

                                 R E S O L U T I O N

 1-1           WHEREAS, Texas is home to a wide range of animals that

 1-2     continually come into contact with humans, and thus there is

 1-3     serious need for comprehensive rabies prevention programs; and

 1-4           WHEREAS, Currently, significant numbers of unvaccinated

 1-5     animals are being released from animal shelters run by local rabies

 1-6     control authorities, and this presents a critical and growing

 1-7     public health risk for Texans; and

 1-8           WHEREAS, This problem stems from statutory provisions that

 1-9     prevent local rabies control authorities from procuring and

1-10     dispensing rabies vaccines; the law limits this practice to

1-11     veterinarians and makes exceptions only for livestock owners who

1-12     administer the vaccine exclusively to their own animals; and

1-13           WHEREAS, It is inconsistent to mandate that local rabies

1-14     control authorities enforce Chapter 826 of the Health and Safety

1-15     Code, Texas Board of Health rules, and local ordinances and rules

1-16     covering rabies vaccinations and quarantines in the absence of any

1-17     authorization to dispense rabies vaccines; and

1-18           WHEREAS, The effective dissemination of rabies vaccines is

1-19     necessary to protect residents and livestock from this lethal and

1-20     devastating disease, and in order to safeguard the health and

1-21     well-being of all Texans, obstacles to local rabies control

1-22     programs must be removed; now, therefore, be it

1-23           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas

1-24     Legislature hereby direct the Texas Veterinary Medical Association

 2-1     to explore all options for working with local rabies control

 2-2     authorities to ensure that before animals are released from local

 2-3     animal shelters, the animals receive needed rabies vaccinations;

 2-4     and, be it further

 2-5           RESOLVED, That if this vital public health service is not

 2-6     being appropriately addressed by January 1999, the 76th Texas

 2-7     Legislature consider legislation to authorize local rabies control

 2-8     authorities to perform their mandated responsibilities; and, be it

 2-9     further

2-10           RESOLVED, That the chief clerk of the house of

2-11     representatives forward an official copy of this resolution to the

2-12     Texas Veterinary Medical Association.