HOUSE BILL No. 6201


     September 24, 1998, Introduced by Reps. Brater, Scranton, McBryde, Parks and Richner and referred to the Committee on Agriculture.


        A bill to require antirabies vaccinations of domestic pets;

   to prescribe duties for local governmental officials; to impose

   duties on domestic pet owners; and to provide penalties for vio-

   lations of this act.

               THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 1         Sec. 1.  This act shall be known and may be cited as the

 2    "rabies prevention act".

 3         Sec. 2.  As used in this act:

 4         (a) "Approved vaccine" means a vaccine recommended for

 5    rabies prevention and control by the national association of

 6    state public health veterinarians, inc., published in the

 7    Compendium of Animal Rabies Control 1997, Morbidity and Mortality

 8    Weekly Report (U.S. department of health and human services)

 9    Feb. 7, 1997 at 1.




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 1         (b) "Cat" means a domestic animal of the species felis

 2    catus.

 3         (c) "Dog" means a domestic animal of the species canis

 4    familiaris.

 5         (d) "Domestic pet" means a dog or a cat that is owned or

 6    otherwise kept and cared for by an individual.

 7         (e) "Local governmental unit" means a county, township,

 8    city, or village.

 9         (f) "Vaccination" means inoculation of a domestic pet with

10    an approved vaccine.

11         (g) "Veterinarian" means an individual person licensed to

12    practice veterinary medicine under article 15 of the public

13    health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.16101 to 333.18838.

14         Sec. 3.  (1) Between January 1 and March 1 of each year

15    after the effective date of this act, a person who owns or keeps

16    a domestic pet shall apply, in writing, to the township or county

17    treasurer for a license for each domestic pet owned or kept by

18    that person.

19         (2) The department of agriculture shall provide each county

20    or township that issues licenses under this act with a sufficient

21    supply of license tags as described in subsection (6).

22         (3) The applicant for a domestic pet license shall include

23    with the application a certificate of a current vaccination of

24    the domestic pet signed by a veterinarian.

25         (4) A county or township may adopt an ordinance to impose a

26    fee of not more than $10.00 for each license.





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 1         (5) A county or township treasurer shall issue a license to

 2    the applicant upon receipt of the application, certificate of

 3    vaccination, and the required fee.

 4         (6) The license issued by the county or township treasurer

 5    shall be of a shape, size, and metal construction and designed to

 6    be attached to a collar.

 7         (7) The owner or keeper of a domestic pet shall keep a

 8    collar on the domestic pet and shall attach the license to the

 9    collar.

10         (8) An owner or keeper of a domestic pet who violates this

11    act is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not

12    more than 10 days or by a fine of not more than $100.00, or

13    both.































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