SB 714 West Virginia Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Relating generally to practice of veterinary medicine

SB 714 updates West Virginia's veterinary medicine regulations by clarifying licensing requirements and scope of practice for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and certified animal euthanasia technicians. The bill strictly prohibits using titles like "veterinarian" or "veterinary technician" without proper licensure or registration, and requires clear display of valid credentials. Key provisions include new telehealth guidelines, temporary permits for professionals, updated penalties for violations, and definitions to prevent misleading self-identification. It directly affects all veterinary service providers operating in the state and enhances enforcement authority for the Board of Veterinary Medicine.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 2, 2026 Last action Mar 2, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Version Committee Substitute · 11 edits
MAJOR
The Committee Substitute version of SB 714 introduces significant changes to West Virginia's veterinary regulations, primarily expanding the scope of practice for veterinary technicians and euthanasia technicians, adding a new reciprocity pathway for out-of-state professionals, and clarifying supervision requirements. These updates aim to modernize the regulatory framework to better reflect current industry standards and facilitate cross-border practice.
Scope change
The bill's scope has expanded to include explicit provisions for reciprocity with other states for veterinarians and technicians, and the scope of practice for technicians has been broadened to allow work under 'general' supervision rather than just 'direct' supervision.
REQUIREMENT

Changed supervision requirements for veterinary assistants and technicians from 'direct' to 'general' supervision, allowing them to work with slightly less immediate oversight by a veterinarian.

Modified the scope of practice for registered veterinary technicians to allow duties under 'general' supervision instead of 'direct' supervision.

Adjusted the certification requirements for animal euthanasia technicians to clarify that passing either written or practical skills exams is sufficient, rather than requiring both.

Clarified that temporary permits can now be issued for both veterinary medicine and veterinary technology.

ELIGIBILITY

Added a new section establishing a reciprocity process for veterinarians and technicians licensed in other states to practice in West Virginia without meeting all local requirements.

DEFINITION

Updated the definition of 'Permit' to include temporary permits for veterinary technology, not just veterinary medicine.

Changed the definition of 'General supervision' to remove the requirement that the veterinarian be physically present in the building, allowing them to be 'quickly and easily available' instead.

Updated the definition of 'Veterinary assistant' to specify they work under 'general' supervision rather than 'direct' supervision.

Corrected the definition of 'Personal examination' to include the hyphenated term 'in-person' for consistency.

ENFORCEMENT

Standardized capitalization of 'board' throughout the text to refer to the Board of Veterinary Medicine.

TECHNICAL

Fixed minor grammatical errors and formatting inconsistencies, such as removing redundant words like 'and/or' and correcting section numbering.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 27, 2026

How they voted

320
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 33
Feb 27, 2026
D Democratic2
2 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican31
30 Yea 1
96% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
19
Key actions
2
Committee
7
Mar 2, 2026
Committee
To House Government Organization
lower
Mar 2, 2026
Committee
To Government Organization
lower
Mar 2, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Feb 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate (Roll No. 258)
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported do pass
upper
Feb 20, 2026
Committee
To Finance
upper
Feb 20, 2026
Committee
Committee substitute reported, but first to Finance
upper
Feb 2, 2026
Committee
To Government Organization
upper
Feb 2, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
Feb 2, 2026
Committee
To Government Organization then Finance
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Patricia Rucker
Patricia Rucker
RRepublican
WV
16