Use of Veterinary Telehealth

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Lisa Cutter and 1 co-sponsor

The bill would regulate veterinary telehealth, detailing how remote care could be provided to pets (definitions, standards, and requirements).

Senate Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources Postpone Indefinitely

Overview

SB 25-159, titled “Use of Veterinary Telehealth,” is a bill introduced in the Colorado Senate on February 6, 2025. The document excerpts available here do not include the bill’s full text, so the specific provisions are not listed. What is known is the bill’s focus on regulating or facilitating telehealth practices in veterinary medicine.

Sponsors:
- Faith Winter (primary)
- Lisa Cutter (primary)

Current status:
- Postponed Indefinitely by the Senate Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources as of March 20, 2025.

What the bill appears to address (based on the title)

The bill centers on the use of telehealth in veterinary care. Telehealth generally involves remote veterinary assessment, consultation, diagnosis, or follow-up care delivered via telecommunications or digital technologies. The exact scope, standards, and restrictions (if any) would be defined in the bill’s text, which is not provided here.

Key provisions and changes (not specified in the provided text)

The available materials do not include the bill’s specific provisions, definitions, or regulatory changes. As a result, we cannot confirm:

Whether telehealth would be explicitly permitted, restricted, or require certain conditions (e.g., licensure, in-person exams, informed consent).
Standards of care, record-keeping, privacy, or data security requirements.
Reimbursement rules, consent processes, or alignment with existing veterinary licensing boards.
Penalties or enforcement mechanisms.

Any such provisions would be essential to understand the bill’s impact on veterinarians, telehealth providers, pet owners, and regulatory bodies.

Affected parties (inference based on topic)

Licensed veterinarians and veterinary clinics offering telehealth services.

Telemedicine providers and platforms servicing veterinary care.

Pet owners seeking remote veterinary consultations.

State veterinary licensing or regulatory bodies.

Payers/insurers that cover telehealth veterinary visits (if addressed in the bill).

Procedural history and timeline

2025-02-06: Introduced in Senate; assigned to Senate Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources.

2025-03-13: Senate Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources Lay Over Unamended — Amendment(s) Failed.

2025-03-20: Senate Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources Postpone Indefinitely.

Implication: The bill did not advance in its current form during this session. A postponement indefinitely typically means the bill is unlikely to move forward unless revived or reintroduced with changes in a future session.

Next steps and practical implications

With the bill postponed indefinitely, it is not currently on a path to passage in the near term. If sponsors or legislators wish to advance telehealth policy for veterinary medicine in Colorado, they would likely need to reintroduce a new or revised bill, secure sponsor support, and navigate committee hearings again.

Stakeholders should monitor for any reintroduction, amendments, or new bill numbers addressing veterinary telehealth in subsequent sessions.

Bill