TITLE 43 PROFESSIONS AND BUSINESSES

Section 50. Veterinarians and Veterinary Technicians, 43-50-1 through 43-50-110.

ARTICLE 3 LICENSING

43-50-40. (For effective date, see note.) Renewal of licenses; reinstatement; waiver of fee; continuing education; inactive status.

All licenses under this article shall be renewable biennially.
Any person who shall practice veterinary medicine or veterinary technology after the expiration of his or her license and willfully or by neglect fail to renew such license shall be practicing in violation of this article, provided that any person may renew an expired license within the period established by the division director in accordance with Code Section 43-1-4 by making application for renewal and paying the applicable fees. After the time period has elapsed, such license may be reinstated in accordance with the rules of the board.
The board may, by rule, waive the continuing education requirements and the payment of the renewal fee of a licensed veterinarian or licensed veterinary technician during the period when he or she is on active duty with any branch of the armed forces of the United States.
1. The board shall establish continuing professional veterinary medical education requirements for the renewal of veterinary licenses. Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, no license to practice veterinary medicine or veterinary technology shall be renewed by the board or the division director until the licensee submits to the board satisfactory proof of his or her participation, during the biennium preceding his or her application for renewal, in approved programs of continuing education, as defined in this Code section. The amount of continuing veterinary medical education required of licensees per biennium by the board under this paragraph shall not be less than 30 hours for veterinarians and not be less than ten hours for veterinary technicians and shall be established by board rule.
2. Continuing professional veterinary medical education shall consist of educational programs providing training pertinent to the practice of veterinary medicine and veterinary technology and approved by the board under this Code section. The board may approve educational programs for persons practicing veterinary medicine or veterinary technology in this state on a reasonable nondiscriminatory fee basis and may contract with institutions of higher learning, professional organizations, or qualified persons for the provision of approved programs. In addition to such programs, the board may allow the continuing education requirement to be fulfilled by the completion of approved distance learning courses, with the number of hours being established by board rule.
3. The board may, consistent with the requirements of this Code section, promulgate rules and regulations to implement and administer this Code section, including the establishment of a committee to prescribe standards and approve and contract for educational programs.
The board shall provide by regulation for an inactive status license for those persons who elect to apply for such status. Persons who are granted inactive status shall not engage in the practice of veterinary medicine or veterinary technology and shall be exempt from the requirements of continuing veterinary medical education during such inactivity.

(Code 1933, § 84-1508, enacted by Ga. L. 1965, p. 92, § 1; Ga. L. 1973, p. 260, § 3; Code 1981, §43-50-26; Ga. L. 1985, p. 406, § 1; Ga. L. 1988, p. 1589, § 3; Ga. L. 2000, p. 1706, § 19; Code 1981, §43-50-40, as redesignated by Ga. L. 2003, p. 615, §§ 1-1, 2-2; Ga. L. 2008, p. 1112, § 20/HB 1055; Ga. L. 2010, p. 266, § 46/SB 195; Ga. L. 2018, p. 770, § 3/HB 956.)

Delayed effective date.

- Ga. L. 2003, p. 615, § 3-1, provides that the 2003 amendment by § 2-2 of that Act becomes effective only upon the effective date of an appropriation of funds for purposes of Part II of that Act as expressed in a line item making specific reference to full funding of that Act in an Appropriations Act enacted by the General Assembly. This Code section, as set out above, does not reflect the amendment by § 2-2 of that Act, owing to the delayed effective date. Funds were not appropriated at the 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, or 2018 session of the General Assembly.

The 2003 amendments. The 2003 amendment by § 1-1 of Ga. L. 2003, p. 615, effective July 1, 2003, redesignated former Code Section 43-50-26 as present Code Section 43-50-40; throughout this Code section, inserted "or veterinary technology" and "or registration"; inserted "and registrations under this article" in subsection (a); inserted "or her" in the first sentence of subsection (b); in subsection (c), deleted "registration" preceding "renewal" near the beginning, inserted "or registered veterinary technician" and inserted "or she" near the middle; rewrote paragraphs (d)(1) and (d)(2); and added "during such inactivity" at the end of the last sentence in subsection (e). The 2003 amendment by § 2-2 of Ga. L. 2003, p. 615, rewrote paragraphs (d)(1) and (d)(2). For effective date of the 2003 amendment, see the delayed effective date note.

The 2018 amendment, effective July 1, 2018, deleted "and registrations" following "All licenses" in subsection (a); deleted "or registration" following "license" four times in subsection (b) and in the first sentence of subsection (e); deleted "established by the division director" following "time period" in the second sentence of subsection (b); substituted the present provisions of subsection (c) for the former provisions, which read: "The board may by rule waive the payment of the renewal fee of a licensed veterinarian or registered veterinary technician during the period when he or she is on active duty with any branch of the armed forces of the United States, not to exceed the longer of three years or the duration of a national emergency."; in paragraph (d)(1), in the first sentence, deleted "a program of" following "establish" and inserted "requirements", in the second sentence, inserted "or veterinary technology" near the middle, substituted "licensee" for "licensed veterinarian" in the middle, in the third sentence, substituted "licensees per biennium" for "licensed veterinarians" in the middle, and inserted "for veterinarians and not be less than ten hours for veterinary technicians" near the end; in paragraph (d)(2), inserted "and veterinary technology" in the middle of the first sentence and inserted "or veterinary technology" in the middle of the second sentence; substituted "persons" for "individuals" near the end of paragraph (d)(2) and near the end of the first sentence of subsection (e); and substituted "standards and approve and contract for educational programs" for "standards, approve and contract for educational programs, and set the required minimum number of hours per year" near the end of paragraph (d)(3).

Editor's notes.

- Former Code Section 43-50-26 has been redesignated as Code Section 43-50-40 by Ga. L. 2003, p. 615, § 1-1.