The Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (Board) adopts an amendment to §571.15, concerning Temporary Veterinary License, without changes to the proposed text as published in the February 10, 2012, issue of the Texas Register (37 TexReg 610) and will not be republished.

The adopted amendment clarifies that §571.15 applies only to veterinary licenses, and not to equine dental provider licenses. These amendments are necessitated by House Bill (HB) 414, 82nd Legislative Session, which gave the Board the authority to license equine dental providers. The Legislature did not extend temporary licenses to equine dental providers; under Texas Occupations Code, §801.258, regarding Temporary License to Practice Veterinary Medicine, only veterinarians can obtain temporary licenses.

The adopted amendment will allow veterinarians to receive a temporary license if the veterinarian is licensed and in good standing in a foreign country and will remove the requirement that a veterinarian seeking a temporary license first pass the Board's jurisprudence examination. These changes are necessitated by Senate Bill (SB) 811, which amended Texas Occupations Code, §801.258, to allow foreign-licensed veterinarians to obtain temporary licenses and removed the prerequisite of the jurisprudence examination for temporary licensure. The adopted amendment makes other minor changes to correct capitalization.

No comments were received regarding adoption of the amendment.

The amendment is adopted under the authority of the Veterinary Licensing Act, Occupations Code, §801.151(a), which states that the Board may adopt rules necessary to administer the chapter, and §801.258, which states that the Board by rule may provide for the issuance of a temporary license to practice veterinary medicine.