JWC sr.
Well-Known Member
Article below was in the Wall Street Journal, it seems Helmcamp is still not giving up This guy needs to be replaced, big time.
Equine Dentists Shine in Court
By STEPHANIE SIMON
Eli Meir Kaplan for The Wall Street Journal
Equine dental practitioner Carl Mitz displays Little America's Crew Crush Boogie's teeth after he leveled them. .Filing down horse teeth is a slobbery job. But Carl Mitz is grateful that he now has the undisputed legal right to do it.
This week, Mr. Mitz and three others won a three-year legal battle against the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, which had sought to restrict the ancient craft of horse-teeth floating—an obscure job that involves filing a horse's teeth to improve its bite—to licensed veterinarians.
Travis County District Court Judge Orlinda Naranjo ruled that the state board was out of bounds in early 2007 when it began ordering more than two dozen nonlicensed equine dentists to quit working. The board failed to conduct studies or seek public input before abruptly deciding that only veterinarians could float teeth. Judge Naranjo decided the disregard for due process by the board invalidated the new policy.
From the Archives
Texas Horse Dentists Feel the Bite Of State Regulatory Oversight
12/29/2010
Eli Meir Kaplan for The Wall Street Journal
Horses roamed some 200 acres at Little America Miniature Horses in Buda, Texas.
.More photos and interactive graphics
."Now I can continue doing the job I've done for 25 years," said Mr. Mitz, who was the subject of a page-one article in The Wall Street Journal article last December.
Texas, however, likely will continue to press the issue, meaning the victory could be fleeting. Dewey E. Helmcamp III, executive director of the veterinary medical examiners board, said he feared the ruling puts horses in danger and expected both the veterinary board and the state legislature to take up the issue soon.
"It is safe to say that we will move by rule adoption to restrict in some fashion the unfettered practice of teeth floating by lay persons unless a veterinarian is involved with some form of supervision," Mr. Helmcamp said.
Horse-teeth floating is a lucrative job. Some practitioners say they can make $300,000 a year, and those who do it say it's straightforward and requires no special training. But some veterinarians fear that unskilled floaters will damage the horse's gums or strip away protective enamel.
The case in Texas hinged on a narrow, technical question: Did the state board follow proper procedure in formulating its floating policy?
But the nonprofit, libertarian law firm that filed the case, the Institute for Justice, said a broader principle was at stake. At what point do state licensing rules impose "an unreasonable restriction on people's ability to earn a living?" said Clark Neily, a senior attorney with the firm, which is based in Arlington, Va.
Equine dental practitioner Carl Mitz leveled a horse's teeth last December in Buda, Texas.
.Mr. Neily hopes to litigate that point in another case in Texas district court that he brought on behalf of eyebrow threaders, who use thin strands of cotton to remove unwanted facial hair. Eyebrow threaders believe that they should be allowed to do their job without a state license requiring at least 750 hours of study at an accredited beauty college. A hearing in the case is set for next month in Austin.
The state, which regulates more than two dozen occupations from boxers to auctioneers—there is even a special permit for hair-salon shampooers—says its licensing requirements are designed to protect public health and human and animal welfare.
Write to Stephanie Simon at [email protected] to comment on this article.
Equine Dentists Shine in Court
By STEPHANIE SIMON
Eli Meir Kaplan for The Wall Street Journal
Equine dental practitioner Carl Mitz displays Little America's Crew Crush Boogie's teeth after he leveled them. .Filing down horse teeth is a slobbery job. But Carl Mitz is grateful that he now has the undisputed legal right to do it.
This week, Mr. Mitz and three others won a three-year legal battle against the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, which had sought to restrict the ancient craft of horse-teeth floating—an obscure job that involves filing a horse's teeth to improve its bite—to licensed veterinarians.
Travis County District Court Judge Orlinda Naranjo ruled that the state board was out of bounds in early 2007 when it began ordering more than two dozen nonlicensed equine dentists to quit working. The board failed to conduct studies or seek public input before abruptly deciding that only veterinarians could float teeth. Judge Naranjo decided the disregard for due process by the board invalidated the new policy.
From the Archives
Texas Horse Dentists Feel the Bite Of State Regulatory Oversight
12/29/2010
Eli Meir Kaplan for The Wall Street Journal
Horses roamed some 200 acres at Little America Miniature Horses in Buda, Texas.
.More photos and interactive graphics
."Now I can continue doing the job I've done for 25 years," said Mr. Mitz, who was the subject of a page-one article in The Wall Street Journal article last December.
Texas, however, likely will continue to press the issue, meaning the victory could be fleeting. Dewey E. Helmcamp III, executive director of the veterinary medical examiners board, said he feared the ruling puts horses in danger and expected both the veterinary board and the state legislature to take up the issue soon.
"It is safe to say that we will move by rule adoption to restrict in some fashion the unfettered practice of teeth floating by lay persons unless a veterinarian is involved with some form of supervision," Mr. Helmcamp said.
Horse-teeth floating is a lucrative job. Some practitioners say they can make $300,000 a year, and those who do it say it's straightforward and requires no special training. But some veterinarians fear that unskilled floaters will damage the horse's gums or strip away protective enamel.
The case in Texas hinged on a narrow, technical question: Did the state board follow proper procedure in formulating its floating policy?
But the nonprofit, libertarian law firm that filed the case, the Institute for Justice, said a broader principle was at stake. At what point do state licensing rules impose "an unreasonable restriction on people's ability to earn a living?" said Clark Neily, a senior attorney with the firm, which is based in Arlington, Va.
Equine dental practitioner Carl Mitz leveled a horse's teeth last December in Buda, Texas.
.Mr. Neily hopes to litigate that point in another case in Texas district court that he brought on behalf of eyebrow threaders, who use thin strands of cotton to remove unwanted facial hair. Eyebrow threaders believe that they should be allowed to do their job without a state license requiring at least 750 hours of study at an accredited beauty college. A hearing in the case is set for next month in Austin.
The state, which regulates more than two dozen occupations from boxers to auctioneers—there is even a special permit for hair-salon shampooers—says its licensing requirements are designed to protect public health and human and animal welfare.
Write to Stephanie Simon at [email protected] to comment on this article.
