Title: Fairness to Pet Owners Act of 2017
Policy area: Commerce

Summary:
Fairness to Pet Owners Act of 2017
This bill directs the Federal Trade Commission to require prescribers of animal drugs to verify prescriptions and provide copies of prescriptions to pet owners, pet owner designees, and pharmacies, without the prescriber demanding payment or establishing other conditions. The bill applies these requirements to medication for a domesticated household animal that consumers are not allowed to purchase without a prescription.


[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 623 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 623

To promote competition and help consumers save money by giving them the 
freedom to choose where they buy prescription pet medications, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 24, 2017

Mr. Chaffetz (for himself, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Jones, and Mr. Cartwright) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To promote competition and help consumers save money by giving them the 
freedom to choose where they buy prescription pet medications, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Fairness to Pet Owners Act of 
2017''.

SEC. 2. APPLICABILITY.

    This Act shall only apply to medication for a domesticated 
household animal that the Federal Government prevents consumers from 
purchasing without a prescription.

SEC. 3. RULES ON VETERINARY PRESCRIPTIONS.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Federal Trade Commission shall promulgate rules in accordance 
with section 553 of title 5, United States Code, that include the 
following requirements with regard to a veterinary prescription:
            (1) In general.--A requirement that the prescriber of an 
        animal drug shall--
                    (A) whether or not requested by the pet owner, 
                provide to the pet owner, before offering to fill or 
                dispensing a veterinary prescription, a copy of the 
                veterinary prescription, including by electronic or 
                other means; and
                    (B) provide a copy of the prescription by 
                electronic or other means consistent with applicable 
                State law, if requested by a pharmacy or any other 
                person designated to act on behalf of the pet owner.
            (2) Purchase, payment, and waiver.--A requirement that the 
        prescriber of an animal drug--
                    (A) may not--
                            (i) require purchase of the animal drug for 
                        which the veterinary prescription was written 
                        from the prescriber or from another person as a 
                        condition of providing a copy of the veterinary 
                        prescription or verifying such prescription 
                        under paragraph (1);
                            (ii) require payment in addition to, or as 
                        part of, the fee for an examination and 
                        evaluation as a condition of providing a copy 
                        of the veterinary prescription or verifying 
                        such prescription under paragraph (1); or
                            (iii) require the pet owner to sign a 
                        waiver or disclaim liability, or deliver to the 
                        pet owner a notice waiving or disclaiming 
                        liability of the prescriber for the accuracy of 
                        the veterinary prescription, as a condition of 
                        providing a copy of such prescription or 
                        verifying such prescription under paragraph 
                        (1); and
                    (B) may require payment of fees for an examination 
                and evaluation before providing a veterinary 
                prescription, but only if the prescriber requires 
                immediate payment in the case of an examination that 
                reveals no requirement for an animal drug.

SEC. 4. ENFORCEMENT.

    A violation of a rule prescribed pursuant to section 3 of this Act 
shall be treated as a violation of a rule defining an unfair or 
deceptive act or practice prescribed under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the 
Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 57a(a)(1)(B)). The Federal 
Trade Commission shall enforce this Act in the same manner, by the same 
means, and with the same jurisdiction as though all applicable terms 
and provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act were incorporated 
into and made a part of this Act.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Animal drug.--The term ``animal drug'' means a drug 
        intended to be administered to an animal that may not be 
        dispensed without a prescription.
            (2) Domesticated household animal.--The term ``domesticated 
        household animal'' means a companion animal permitted under 
        applicable State and local law to be kept in a home for 
        noncommercial purposes.
            (3) Pet owner.--The term ``pet owner'' means the legal 
        owner of a domesticated household animal or a person designated 
        by such owner to present such animal to the prescriber for 
        care.
            (4) Prescriber.--The term ``prescriber'' means a health 
        care practitioner who is licensed to practice veterinary 
        medicine or other person permitted under State law to issue 
        prescriptions for animal drugs.
            (5) Veterinary prescription.--The term ``veterinary 
        prescription''--
                    (A) means a written, oral, or electronic order from 
                a prescriber authorizing the dispensing of an animal 
                drug for use by a domesticated household animal and 
                normally administered to the animal by its owner, 
                issued in accordance with State and Federal law; and
                    (B) does not include an animal drug administered by 
                the veterinarian in the course of providing acute care.
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