This article was originally printed in the May/June 2025 issue of the California Veterinarian magazine.

2025 is an exciting time for registered veterinary technicians (RVTs), with many regulatory and legislative proposals being considered that would increase the RVT’s role in veterinary medicine. The CVMA appreciates the valuable contributions of RVTs to the profession, and as the largest RVT membership organization in the state, we are actively working to advocate for RVTs in various ways. Below is a summary of several measures being considered this year and a report on the CVMA’s involvement in each.

RVT Job Task Clarifications
The CVMA is proud to be a co-sponsor of two bills introduced by the San Francisco SPCA and San Diego Humane Society to improve access to veterinary care and support RVTs in practice. The first bill, AB 516 by Assembly Member Ash Kalra, will affirmatively state that RVTs can perform any job task, including dental work, that is not otherwise prohibited by law (RVTs may not diagnose/prognose, prescribe, or perform surgery). This legal clarification will reduce confusion within the veterinary profession about what RVTs are legally permitted to do in practice.
The second bill, SB 602 by Senator Dave Cortese, will permit RVTs at municipal animal shelters and SPCAs to provide vaccinations to the public as an agent of the supervising veterinarian when the veterinarian is not on the premises. This will increase access to veterinary care for the underserved and assist animal shelters in complying with an existing state mandate requiring them to provide low-cost rabies vaccines to the public’s animals.
The CVMA will be testifying in support of both of these bills in numerous Assembly and Senate committee hearings during the 2025 legislative session.

Continuing Education Credit Expansion
In 2024, the CVMA petitioned the California Veterinary Medical Board (CVMB) to expand continuing education (CE) credit options for RVTs by permitting up to two units of credit to RVTs who volunteer to assist with spay/neuter programs at municipal animal shelters. A similar allowance is provided for veterinarians in statute, and the CVMA recognizes that RVTs are a crucial member of the spay/neuter team and thus should have the same opportunity. The CVMB agreed, and in response, submitted a proposed legislation package to include this provision. The package will also address a number of other issues in existing law for both veterinarian and RVT CE. The CVMA will support this legislative proposal throughout the 2025 legislative session and, if it is successful, the allowance will become law in 2026.

Second RVT Proposed for State Veterinary Medical Board
The CVMB currently has only one RVT member, which places a strain on that lone individual because their presence is required at nearly all CVMB activities. Given that the CVMB has four veterinarian members to represent California’s 13,500 veterinarians, and only one RVT to represent California’s 9,000 RVTs, the CVMA supported a petition to the legislature to add a second RVT onto the CVMB. If the proposal is passed, a second RVT board position on the CVMB will become available in 2026. RVT members of the CVMB are appointed by the governor.

CVMA Team Teaches Webinar with SF SPCA
Both the CVMA and the SF SPCA are dedicated to maximizing the use of RVTs in veterinary practice, yet both organizations have observed confusion in the veterinary profession about what the law actually permits RVTs to do. To help veterinary professionals better understand the potential role of RVTs in practice under the existing legal framework, the CVMA and SF SPCA teamed up in March to teach a RACE-approved, two-unit CE webinar on the subject. The webinar was recorded and is available for viewing using the QR code below. The next webinar, “The Legal Building Blocks of California’s RVT Profession,” will be taught on June 24, 2025. For more information and to register, please click here.