FOR RABIES TESTING
House Bill 4144
Sponsor: Rep. Ruth Ann Jamnick
Committee: Health Policy
Complete to 2-23-99
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4144 AS INTRODUCED 2-3-99
The bill would amend the Public Health Code to allow local health officers to order that an animal be euthanized for rabies testing before expiration of a rabies quarantine.
More specifically, the bill would amend the section of the health code allowing the department to establish procedures for control of rabies and the disposition of nonhuman agents carrying rabies to allow local health officers to order the euthanization of an animal, before the expiration of any quarantine period, that had bitten, scratched, caused abrasions, or contaminated with saliva or other infectious material a human being's open wound or mucus membrane. Before issuing such an order, the health officer would be required to consult with an accredited veterinarian. The order would have to state the reason for the order -- such as the animal's vaccination status, the occurrence of rabies in the area, the absence of provocation for the incident, the severity of a wound, or a wound's proximity to the brain.
MCL 333.5101 and 333.5111
Analyst: S. Ekstrom