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SB 796FLORIDA · STATEWIDESession 2026Died on Calendar
High Impact

Veterinary Workforce Innovation Act (SB 796)

Original title: Veterinary Medicine

December 9, 2025

Companion · HB 805same policy, House version
veterinary medicinetelehealthprofessional licensinganimal welfarehealthcare access

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Where This Stands

Currently Died on Calendar. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Introduced.

Procedural history

12 actions
  1. Feb 26, 2026Senate
    On Committee agenda-- Rules, 03/03/26, 9:00 am, 412 Knott Building
  2. Feb 5, 2026Senate
    Now in Rules
  3. Feb 4, 2026SenateCommittee
    Favorable by Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; YEAS 11 NAYS 0
  4. Jan 30, 2026Senate
    On Committee agenda-- Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government, 02/04/26, 3:45 pm, 412 Knott Building
  5. Jan 14, 2026Senate
    CS by Regulated Industries read 1st time
  6. Jan 14, 2026Senate
    Now in Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government
Show 6 earlier actions
  1. Jan 14, 2026Senate
    Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)
  2. Jan 13, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Introduced
  3. Jan 12, 2026Senate
    CS by Regulated Industries; YEAS 9 NAYS 0
  4. Jan 5, 2026Senate
    On Committee agenda-- Regulated Industries, 01/12/26, 4:00 pm, 412 Knott Building
  5. Dec 16, 2025SenateCommittee
    Referred to Regulated Industries; Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Rules
  6. Dec 9, 2025SenateIntroduced
    Filed

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

The Frame

What this does

The bill aims to increase consumer access to veterinary services by allowing trained associates to perform certain procedures, while also setting new, longer time limits for medications prescribed through remote telehealth consultations.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Veterinary professional associates

They must meet new educational and registration requirements to practice and are subject to specific scope-of-practice limitations.

Licensed veterinarians

They are responsible for the supervision of veterinary professional associates and must adhere to updated telehealth prescription guidelines.

Pet owners

They gain access to expanded telehealth prescription windows and new categories of veterinary personnel for routine care.

What changed

Last recorded activity December 9, 2025.

What's next

Introduced.

Summary

This bill creates a new professional role called a 'veterinary professional associate' to assist licensed veterinarians and expands the time limits for prescriptions issued via telehealth. It establishes registration requirements for these associates and defines the specific medical and surgical tasks they are permitted to perform under supervision.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a veterinary professional associate?
An individual with a master's degree or equivalent in veterinary clinical care who is registered with the state to perform specific veterinary tasks under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian.
Can I get a prescription for my pet through a text-based telehealth service?
No. The bill requires that telehealth evaluations use . Text messaging, chatbots, and audio-only calls are not permitted for establishing a relationship or issuing prescriptions.
What surgeries can a veterinary professional associate perform?
They are limited to performing neutering (), veterinary dental surgery, and suturing or stapling of skin lacerations or existing surgical incisions.

Why It Matters

The bill aims to increase consumer access to veterinary services by allowing trained associates to perform certain procedures, while also setting new, longer time limits for medications prescribed through remote telehealth consultations.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Voting Record

Motion succeededsenate2/4/2026Official roll call ↗

Favorable

Total

12

Yes

12

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

0

Abstain

0

Motion succeededsenate1/12/2026Official roll call ↗

Favorable with Committee Substitute

Total

10

Yes

10

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

0

Abstain

0

Full roll-call analysis →

Sponsors

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Expansion of Telehealth Scope

The bill significantly shifts policy by allowing prescriptions based solely on telehealth for up to 6 months for flea/tick control, a notable increase from previous 1-month limits.

Board of Veterinary Medicine

Connected Entities

organizationRules“Committee reviewing the bill”Map →
organizationRegulated Industries“Committee reviewing the bill”Map →
location412 Knott Building“Meeting location”Map →
organizationAppropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government“Committee reviewing the bill”Map →

Sources

Open source document

openstates.org

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance85
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy40
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz25
    Current news / social attention level

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