Gov. Vetoes Pet Microchipping Bill

Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill from state Sen. Ted Lieu on Friday requiring animals picked up from shelters be microchipped.

The microchips, which are injected just beneath an animal's skin, would contain identifying information that would make it easier for the pets to be reunited with their owners.

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"Every year, shelters in California impound more than one million dogs and cats—and then euthanize more than half of these animals because they could not be reunited with their owners," Lieu said in a statement before the bill was sent to Brown's desk. "This process costs taxpayers up to $300 million a year, according to the State Controller. Nationwide, this costs local taxpayer-funded shelters and humane societies $1 billion. This has to stop."

Opponents of the measure argued that the implants occasionally cause serious medical problems, and any laws on the matter should be decided on a local level.

Nevertheless, Brown said that because local agencies already require pets be microchipped before they're released, the law was redundant.

"There is no need for state law to mandate the procedure, which would then require the state to pay for it," Brown wrote in his veto message.