Bill Commons

CA AB 867

enacted

Veterinary medicine: cat declawing.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

Quick answers

Did CA AB 867 pass?

Yes. CA AB 867 has been enacted into law as of 2025-10-09. Latest recorded action (2025-10-09): Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 479, Statutes of 2025.

What is CA AB 867 about?

Existing law, the Veterinary Medicine Practice Act, establishes the California Veterinary Medical Board to regulate the practice of veterinary medicine, and specifies acts the performance of which constitutes the practice of veterinary medicine, surgery, and dentistry, including performing a surgical operation upon an animal. Existing law provides that nothing in the act prohibits a person from practicing veterinary medicine as a bona fide owner of one's own animals. A violation of the act is a crime. This bill would include the performance of a tendonectomy, onychectomy, or any type of claw removal on a feline within the practice of veterinary medicine, surgery, and dentistry. The bill would require those procedures to be performed only for a therapeutic purpose, as defined, and would authorize the board to deny, revoke, or suspend a license or registration or assess a fine for performing those procedures for any reason other than a therapeutic purpose. This bill would exclude the performance of those procedures from the provisions authorizing a person to practice veterinary medicine as an owner of one's own animals. The bill would specify that the bill's provision shall not be interpreted to preempt a local ordinance adopted before January 1, 2026, limiting the performance of the feline declawing procedures identified in the bill. Because a violation of these provisions would be a crime under the act, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Sections 4827 and 4883 of the Business and Professions Code proposed by AB 1502 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1502 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Who sponsors CA AB 867?

Lee is the primary sponsor of CA AB 867, joined by 4 cosponsors.

Description

Existing law, the Veterinary Medicine Practice Act, establishes the California Veterinary Medical Board to regulate the practice of veterinary medicine, and specifies acts the performance of which constitutes the practice of veterinary medicine, surgery, and dentistry, including performing a surgical operation upon an animal. Existing law provides that nothing in the act prohibits a person from practicing veterinary medicine as a bona fide owner of one's own animals. A violation of the act is a crime. This bill would include the performance of a tendonectomy, onychectomy, or any type of claw removal on a feline within the practice of veterinary medicine, surgery, and dentistry. The bill would require those procedures to be performed only for a therapeutic purpose, as defined, and would authorize the board to deny, revoke, or suspend a license or registration or assess a fine for performing those procedures for any reason other than a therapeutic purpose. This bill would exclude the performance of those procedures from the provisions authorizing a person to practice veterinary medicine as an owner of one's own animals. The bill would specify that the bill's provision shall not be interpreted to preempt a local ordinance adopted before January 1, 2026, limiting the performance of the feline declawing procedures identified in the bill. Because a violation of these provisions would be a crime under the act, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Sections 4827 and 4883 of the Business and Professions Code proposed by AB 1502 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1502 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Introduced
2025-03-24
Latest action
2025-10-09 — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 479, Statutes of 2025.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Leeauthor
  • Calozacoauthor
  • Arreguíncoauthor
  • Sterncoauthor
  • Wienercoauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

  1. 2025-02-19

    Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

  2. 2025-02-20

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 22.

  3. 2025-03-03

    Referred to Com. on B. & P.

    referral-committee

  4. 2025-03-24

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on B. & P. Read second time and amended.

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  5. 2025-03-25

    Re-referred to Com. on B. & P.

    referral-committee

  6. 2025-04-01

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (April 1). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  7. 2025-04-23

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (April 23).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  8. 2025-04-24

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  9. 2025-04-28

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 72. Noes 0. Page 1319.)

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  10. 2025-04-29

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

    reading-1,referral-committee

  11. 2025-05-07

    Referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D.

    referral-committee

  12. 2025-06-09

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

  13. 2025-06-17

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D.

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  14. 2025-06-23

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (June 23). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  15. 2025-06-30

    From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.

    committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2

  16. 2025-07-01

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  17. 2025-09-03

    Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  18. 2025-09-04

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  19. 2025-09-08

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 2624.).

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  20. 2025-09-08

    In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  21. 2025-09-09

    Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 74. Noes 0. Page 3112.).

    amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  22. 2025-09-16

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.

    executive-receipt

  23. 2025-10-09

    Approved by the Governor.

    executive-signature

  24. 2025-10-09

    Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 479, Statutes of 2025.

    became-law

Versions

  • 02/19/25 - Introduced — 2025-02-19Compare
  • 03/24/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-03-24Compare
  • 06/17/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-06-17Compare
  • 09/03/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-09-03Compare
  • 09/11/25 - Enrolled — 2025-09-11Compare
  • 10/09/25 - Chaptered — 2025-10-09Compare
  • AB867Compare
  • (document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]

    2025-04-01 · pass · 13-0

    Member-level votes (18)
    • Haney: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Chen: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Macedo: other
    • Hadwick: other
    • Alanis: other
    • Bauer-Kahan: other
    • Flora: other

  • Do pass.

    2025-04-23 · pass · 11-0

    Member-level votes (15)
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Sanchez: other
    • Ta: other
    • Tangipa: other
    • Dixon: other

  • AB 867 Lee Assembly Third Reading

    2025-04-28 · pass · 72-0

    Member-level votes (79)
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Lackey: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Wallis: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • DeMaio: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Jeff Gonzalez: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Castillo: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Chen: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Sanchez: other
    • Flora: other
    • Macedo: other
    • Krell: other
    • Gallagher: other
    • Hadwick: other
    • Ellis: other

  • Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]

    2025-06-23 · pass · 10-0

    Member-level votes (11)
    • Niello: yes
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Strickland: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Choi: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Weber Pierson: other

  • 3rd Reading AB867 Lee et al. By Arreguín

    2025-09-08 · pass · 36-0

    Member-level votes (40)
    • Wahab: yes
    • Niello: yes
    • Jones: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Choi: yes
    • Rubio: yes
    • McGuire: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Ochoa Bogh: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Reyes: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Valladares: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Limón: yes
    • McNerney: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Hurtado: yes
    • Blakespear: yes
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
    • Strickland: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Grove: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Alvarado-Gil: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Becker: yes
    • Stern: other
    • Ashby: other
    • Cabaldon: other
    • Weber Pierson: other

  • AB 867 Lee Concurrence in Senate Amendments

    2025-09-09 · pass · 74-0

    Member-level votes (80)
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Johnson: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Jeff Gonzalez: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Castillo: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • DeMaio: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Lackey: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Chen: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Hadwick: other
    • Wallis: other
    • Gallagher: other
    • Macedo: other
    • Ellis: other
    • Ta: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB867

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z

Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:

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