Colorado Proposition 129, Veterinary Professional Associate Initiative (2024)

Colorado Proposition 129
Election date November 5, 2024
Topic Treatment of animals and Business regulation
Status a Approved
Type State statute	Origin Citizens

Colorado Proposition 129, the Veterinary Professional Associate Initiative, was on the ballot in Colorado as an initiated state statute on November 5, 2024. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported creating a new profession, the veterinary professional associate (VPA), requiring a master's degree and registration with the state board of veterinary medicine, to practice under supervision of a licensed veterinarian.

A "no" vote opposed creating a new profession, the veterinary professional associate (VPA).

Election results

Colorado Proposition 129
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		1,572,545	52.76%
No		1,407,814	47.24%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

What did Proposition 129 do?

See also: Text of measure

The initiative created the profession of veterinary professional associate (VPA) requiring a master’s degree and registration with the State Board of Veterinary Medicine, allowing VPAs to practice veterinary medicine under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian.

The initiative directed the Board of Veterinary Medicine to implement requirements for licensing VPAs and establish a nationally recognized credentialing organization to credential VPAs. The credentialing organization can require VPA candidates to complete a university-approved program for veterinary professional associates and pass a VPA exam.

Currently, in Colorado, veterinarians must earn a doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) degree, which is typically a four-year degree program after earning a four-year bachelor’s degree, while veterinary technicians must earn an associate’s degree.

What did supporters and opponents say about the measure?

See also: Support and Opposition

All Pets Deserve Vet Care led the campaign in support of Proposition 129. Supporters included the Dumb Friends League and the ASPCA. All Pets Deserve Vet Care said, "Colorado families love their pets, but many are having a hard time getting the care their pets need. This is because Colorado doesn’t have enough veterinarians, making it tough to find and afford care. Proposition 129 offers a solution by creating a career pathway for Veterinary PAs. Veterinary PAs will help expand the veterinary workforce, giving more pets the chance to see a highly-trained veterinary professional close to home. Research shows that PAs in human medicine drive down costs while increasing capacity. Similarly, the cost to visit a Vet PA will be lower than the cost to see a veterinarian. Savings veterinarians can pass on to a pet owner."

Keep Our Pets Safe led the campaign in opposition to Proposition 129. Opponents included the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Association of Veterinary State Boards. Keep Our Pets Safe said, "Proposition 129 would allow someone with inadequate training to perform surgery on your pet. A veterinary professional associate is not a mid-level provider like a nurse practitioner or a physician's assistant to a doctor. It's the equivalent of completing a mostly online program with minimal training, and this measure would allow Veterinary Professional Associates to perform surgery after only a one-semester internship. Proposition 129 is designed to fool voters into creating a new position for a job that does not exist so colleges can make more money from unsuspecting students who will face limited job security due to varying state regulations. It is being pushed by a small group of special interests and corporations who stand to make millions by dangerously changing pet healthcare at the ballot box. Your pet deserves to be seen by a veterinarian—not an undertrained veterinary professional associate who received their training through mostly online coursework."

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for the initiative was as follows:

“

Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes creating a new veterinary professional associate profession, and, in connection therewith, establishing qualifications including a master’s degree to be a veterinary professional associate; requiring registration with the state board of veterinary medicine; allowing a registered veterinary professional associate to practice veterinary medicine under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian; and making it a misdemeanor to practice as a veterinary professional associate without an active registration?

”

Full text

The full text of the measure can be read below. Struck-through text would be deleted and CAPITALIZED text would be added:

Readability score

See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2024

Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The state board wrote the ballot language for this measure.

The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 23, and the FRE is -23. The word count for the ballot title is 75.

Support

All Pets Deserve Vet Care led the campaign in support of Proposition 129.

Supporters

Officials

• Gov. Jared Polis (D)
• State Sen. Stephen Fenberg (D)
• State Rep. Ryan Armagost (R)

Political Parties

• Green Party of Colorado

Organizations

• ASPCA
• Animal Policy Group
• Colorado Voters for Animals
• Dumb Friends League
• Independence Institute
• The Interfaith Alliance of Colorado
• Thrive Pet Healthcare
• Virtual Veterinary Care Association

Arguments

• All Pets Deserve Vet Care: "Colorado is facing a severe shortage of veterinarians and animals are suffering. Colorado voters can help increase access to veterinary care! By voting YES on Proposition 129 in November, you can support the creation of a new career—a Veterinary Professional Associate or “Veterinary PA.” These professionals will have a Master’s degree from an accredited veterinary school and will work under the supervision of a Colorado licensed veterinarian. Adding Veterinary PAs to the workforce will allow clinics to provide more affordable and accessible care."
• Dr. Apryl Steele, CEO of the Dumb Friends League: “We have a severe workforce crisis. There’s long wait times, whether it’s routine or emergency. Veterinary hospitals aren’t accepting new patients.”
• Judy Calhoun, CEO of NOCO Humane: "This initiative will revolutionize veterinary care for Colorado pet owners struggling to access and afford it. Animal shelters witness daily the heartbreaking reality of pets suffering due to lack of access. As the first in the nation. Prop 129 isn’t just a policy change – it’s a lifeline to bring relief to our community.”
• Gov. Jared Polis (D): "I think this is a great idea, and we have something similar in human medicine with Physicians Assistants and Nurse Practitioners. It would be great to have it as an option for veterinarians to expand the bandwidth of their practices, too, and it will help save people money on veterinary bills for pets and also better support our ranchers in rural areas with severe veterinary shortages. I will be voting YES ON PROPOSITION 129."

Opposition

Keep Our Pets Safe led the campaign in opposition to Proposition 129.

Opponents

Officials

• State Rep. Emily Sirota (D)
• State Rep. Brianna Titone (D)

Organizations

• American Association of Bovine Practitioners
• American Association of Equine Practitioners
• American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners
• American Association of Swine Veterinarians
• American Association of Veterinary State Boards
• American Board of Veterinary Practitioners
• American Humane
• American Veterinary Dental College
• Colorado Association of Certified Veterinary Technicians
• Colorado Veterinary Medical Association
• Independent Veterinary Practitioners Association
• Relief Veterinary Medical Association
• Student American Veterinary Medical Association
• The American Veterinary Medical Association
• Veterinary Management Groups

Arguments

• Keep Our Pets Safe: "Proposition 129 is dangerous because it would let inadequately trained individuals—known as Veterinary Professional Associates or VPAs—perform surgery on your pets. A VPA would have minimal training through a mostly online course and a one semester internship. This measure misleads voters into thinking it enhances accessibility and lowers costs. In reality, it endangers your pet’s health and exploits students who may face limited job security. Pets and pet owners shouldn’t be guinea pigs for risky, profit-driven vet care that puts pets at risk and puts Colorado at odds with federal regulations and state laws that protect animals in 43 other states. This reckless measure prioritizes corporate profits over the safety and well-being of your pets."
• Dr. Kelly Walsh, president of the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association: "[The initiative] presents dangerous risks by permitting VPAs to practice the full scope of veterinary medicine — including performing surgery — with inadequate, mostly online training. Surgical procedures, even routine surgeries, are highly complex and require extensive veterinary training and expertise. Allowing inadequately prepared individuals to perform such procedures fundamentally undermines veterinary care and places animal lives in jeopardy.”
• Rep. Karen McCormick (D-11): "No economic analyses support creation of a VPA. Zero data that this will lower costs or increase access to care. Prop 129 is a corporate effort aimed at increasing profits. Period. From a large corporation’s viewpoint, hiring VPAs may help lower overall payroll expenses. That’s it. I am personally heartsick about this issue. I took a lifelong oath to protect animal health, welfare and public health. If Prop 129 was a measure that would actually help animals, then I would be all in. But it is not. Therefore I, and thousands of residents across our state, are opposed to Prop. 129. This is a move to bypass real problem solving and big money has gotten it on the ballot."

Media editorials

See also: 2024 ballot measure media endorsements

Support

• The Denver Post Editorial Board: "For many Coloradans today the status quo is prohibitively expensive and the choice often is not seeking any medical care for their animals. The risk of poorly trained VPAs or large chain veterinary hospitals abusing the intent of the law is worth the potential outcome of more Colorado pets receiving medical care when needed because it is readily available and more affordable. Just as humans seek care from PAs who received master’s degrees, so too pets should be able to get care from VPAs with master’s degrees."

Opposition

• Colorado Springs Gazette and Denver Gazette Editorial Board: "The proposal has the arguably laudable intent of providing more options for pet owners seeking veterinary care. But this measure goes about it the wrong way. It asks voters to go way beyond their depth and credential a new kind of veterinary professional. That’s an undertaking that should be left to veterinary schools, state regulators and the veterinary profession."

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Colorado ballot measures

The campaign finance information on this page reflects the most recent scheduled reports that Ballotpedia has processed, which covered through December 5, 2024.

All Pets Deserve Vet Care registered as a political action committee (PAC) to support the ballot initiative.

Keep Our Pets Safe registered as a political action committee (PAC) to oppose the ballot initiative.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$1,597,076.00	$122,310.66	$1,719,386.66	$1,597,076.00	$1,719,386.66
Oppose	$1,476,425.00	$964,582.70	$2,441,007.70	$1,488,395.00	$2,452,977.70
Total	$3,073,501.00	$1,086,893.36	$4,160,394.36	$3,085,471.00	$4,172,364.36

Support

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee supporting the measure.

Committees in support of Proposition 129
Committee	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
All Pets Deserve Vet Care	$1,597,076.00	$122,310.66	$1,719,386.66	$1,597,076.00	$1,719,386.66
Total	$1,597,076.00	$122,310.66	$1,719,386.66	$1,597,076.00	$1,719,386.66

Donors

The following were the top donors to the support committee.

Donor	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions
Dumb Friends League	$1,162,965.00	$0.00	$1,162,965.00
ASPCA	$400,000.00	$12,349.99	$412,349.99

Opposition

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee in opposition to the initiative.

Committees in opposition to Proposition 129
Committee	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Keep Our Pets Safe	$1,476,425.00	$964,582.70	$2,441,007.70	$1,488,395.00	$2,452,977.70
Total	$1,476,425.00	$964,582.70	$2,441,007.70	$1,488,395.00	$2,452,977.70

Donors

Following were the top donors to the opposition committee.

Donor	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions
American Veterinary Medical Association	$1,370,000.00	$938,777.70	$2,308,777.70
AMVA Admin	$100,000.00	$0.00	$100,000.00
Colorado Veterinary Medical Association	$0.00	$35,805.00	$35,805.00
Christopher Maag	$250.00	$0.00	$250.00
Wendy Hauser	$50.00	$0.00	$50.00

Methodology

To read Ballotpedia's methodology for covering ballot measure campaign finance information, click here.

Background

Veterinary medicine in Colorado

The State Board of Veterinary Medicine licenses and regulates veterinarians and veterinary technicians in Colorado. The board describes its mission as "to safeguard the health, safety, and welfare of the people and animals of Colorado by establishing and enforcing professional standards through the development and maintenance of rules and policies to ensure that only qualified persons are licensed/registered to provide veterinary care and that violators of the laws and rules regulating veterinary medicine are sanctioned as appropriate."

The board is responsible for investigating complaints about licensed and registered veterinarians and veterinary technicians, enforcing disciplinary actions when the law is violated, and making rules and regulations governing the conduct of veterinarians and veterinary technicians.

The board is composed of five veterinarians, two veterinary technicians, and two public members.

Currently, in Colorado, veterinarians must earn a doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) degree, which is typically a four-year degree program after earning a four-year bachelor’s degree, while veterinary technicians must earn an associate’s degree.

Veterinarian labor statistics

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 2,220 veterinarians employed in Colorado as of May 2023. There were 78,220 veterinarians in the United States as of May 2023. The following map is color-coded according to the total number of veterinarians in each state.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Colorado

The state process

In Colorado, the number of signatures required to qualify an initiated state statute for the ballot is equal to 5 percent of the total number of votes cast for the office of Colorado secretary of state in the preceding general election. State law provides that petitioners have six months to collect signatures after the ballot language and title are finalized. State statutes require a completed signature petition to be filed three months and three weeks before the election at which the measure would appear on the ballot. The Constitution, however, states that the petition must be filed three months before the election at which the measure would appear. The secretary of state generally lists a date that is three months before the election as the filing deadline.

The requirements to get an initiated state statute certified for the 2024 ballot:

• Signatures: 124,238 valid signatures
• Deadline: August 5, 2024

The secretary of state is responsible for signature verification. Verification is conducted through a review of petitions regarding correct form and then a 5 percent random sampling verification. If the sampling projects between 90 percent and 110 percent of required valid signatures, a full check of all signatures is required. If the sampling projects more than 110 percent of the required signatures, the initiative is certified. If less than 90 percent, the initiative fails.

Details about this initiative

• The initiative was filed by Apryl Steele and Ali Mickelson on January 26, 2024. Ballot language was issued for the initiative on February 7, 2024.
• The initiative was approved for signature gathering on March 12, 2024, with signatures due by August 5, 2024.
• Sponsors submitted 207,182 signatures for the initiative on July 29, 2024.
• The Colorado Secretary of State announced on August 28, 2024, that the measure had qualified for the November ballot.

Signature gathering cost

See also: Ballot measures cost per required signatures analysis

Sponsors of the measure hired Ground Organizing to collect signatures for the petition to qualify this measure for the ballot. A total of $852,052.23 was spent to collect the 124,238 valid signatures required to put this measure before voters, resulting in a total cost per required signature (CPRS) of $6.86.

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Colorado

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Colorado.

How to vote in Colorado

Poll times

In Colorado, polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time for those who choose to vote in person rather than by mail. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

In Colorado, an individual can pre-register to vote if they are at least 15 years old. Voters must be at least 18 years old to vote in any election. A voter must be a citizen of the United States and have established residence in Colorado to vote.

Colorado voters can register to vote through Election Day. However, in order to automatically receive a absentee/mail-in ballot, a voter must register online, through the mail, at a voter registration agency, or driver's license examination facility at least eight days prior to Election Day. A voter that registers through a voter registration drive must submit their application no later than 22 days before the election to automatically receive an absentee/mail-in ballot. A voter can register online or submit a form in person or by fax, email, or mail.

Automatic registration

See also: Automatic voter registration

Colorado automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles and certain other state agencies.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Colorado has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

See also: Same-day voter registration

Colorado allows same-day voter registration for individuals who vote in person.

Residency requirements

Colorado law requires 22 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Colorado does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The site Go Vote Colorado, run by the Colorado Secretary of State office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Colorado requires voters to present non-photo identification when voting in person. If voting by mail for the first, a voter may also need to return a photocopy of his or her identification with their mail-in ballot. Click here for more information.

The following list of accepted forms of identification was current as of August 2025. Click here for the most current information, sourced directly from the Office of the Colorado Secretary of State.

“

The following documents are acceptable forms of identification: A valid Colorado driver’s license or valid identification card issued by the Colorado Department of Revenue. (Note: documents issued to not lawfully present and temporarily lawfully present individuals under Part 5 of Article 2 of Title 42, C.R.S. are not acceptable forms of identification.) A valid U.S. passport. A valid employee identification card with a photograph of the eligible elector issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. government or of Colorado, or by any county, municipality, board, authority, or other political subdivision of Colorado. A valid pilot’s license issued by the federal aviation administration or other authorized agency of the U.S. A valid U.S. military identification card with a photograph of the eligible elector. A copy of a current (within the last 60 days) utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of the elector. A Certificate of Degree of Indian or Alaskan Native Blood. A valid Medicare or Medicaid card issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. A certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate for the elector. Certified documentation of naturalization. A valid student identification card with a photograph of the eligible elector issued by an institute of higher education in Colorado, as defined in section 23-3.1-102(5), C.R.S.. A valid veteran identification card issued by the U.S. department of veterans affairs veterans health administration with a photograph of the eligible elector. A valid identification card issued by a federally recognized tribal government certifying tribal membership. Any form of identification listed above that shows your address must show a Colorado address to qualify as an acceptable form of identification. The following documents are also considered acceptable forms of identification for voting: Verification that a voter is a resident of a group residential facility, as defined in section 1-1-104(18.5), C.R.S. Verification that a voter is a person committed to the department of human services and confined and eligible to register and vote shall be considered sufficient identification of such person for the purposes of section 1-2-210.5, C.R.S. Written correspondence from the county sheriff or his or her designee to the county clerk indicating that a voter is confined in a county jail or detention facility.

”

• Note: SB 1, signed into law on May 12, 2025, specified that tribal IDs issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Indian Health Service, or another federal agency were also valid identification.

See also

2024 measures

• 2024 ballot measures
• Treatment of animals on the ballot
• Business regulation on the ballot
• 2024 petition deadlines

Colorado

• Colorado ballot measures
• Colorado initiative laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls
• Ballot measure signature costs

External links

• Colorado Secretary of State Initiative Filings
• Full text