BILL NUMBER: AB 2375 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 10, 2008
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 28, 2008
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Hernandez
( Coauthor: Assembly Member
Berg )
FEBRUARY 21, 2008
An act to add Section 127162 to, and to add Chapter 1.5
(commencing with Section 127320) to Part 1 of Division 107 of, the
Health and Safety Code, relating to public health.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2375, as amended, Hernandez. Health professions workforce:
master plan.
Existing law requires the Office of Statewide Health Planning and
Development to take various actions related to statewide health
planning and the development of policies to address health care
issues in California.
This bill would require the office, in collaboration with the
California Workforce Investment Board, to establish the Health
Professions Workforce Task Force, comprised of specified members, to
assist in the development of a health professions workforce master
plan for the state, and would prescribe the functions and duties of
the task force in that regard. The bill would require the task
force to submit to the office recommendations for a statewide health
professions workforce master plan and for the office to implement a
master plan no later than October 31, 2014.
Existing law gives the Joint Legislative Budget Committee the
power to appoint a Legislative Analyst and establishes the
Legislative Analyst's Office.
This bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office, working
with various other entities, to compile a baseline report to assess
the state's health professions workforce data collection capacity and
to report their findings to the Health Professions Workforce Task
Force by October 31, 2009.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares the following:
(a) In order for California to remain healthy, prosperous, and
globally competitive, the state needs to have a skilled health
professions workforce.
(b) Demographic trends and health care reimbursement structures
are increasing gaps between health professions workforce supply and
demand, as seen in the shortages of primary care providers.
(c) California's population is aging, growing, and becoming
increasingly more diverse. California's workforce of health
professionals has not reflected these changes and is ill-equipped to
reduce new pressures on the health care system.
(d) Developing California's workforce so that it better represents
and serves its consumer population will help to mitigate increasing
health care costs.
(e) California faces a dramatic and pressing challenge related to
the supply and distribution of health care professionals. In addition
to urban areas, rural counties face challenges to recruitment and
retention.
(e)
(f) A comprehensive approach to health professions
workforce development is needed to ensure that the state has the
optimal mix of culturally competent health professions workers to
address health needs in a cost-effective manner.
(f)
(g) To prepare the highly skilled workforce necessary
and to keep California's economy competitive, maintain the income and
quality of life for California residents, and increase tax revenues,
the following issues must be addressed:
(1) A comprehensive public and private collaboration to develop
California's health professions workforce.
(2) A state-level effort involving multiple health professions,
business and labor, educational institutions including primary,
secondary, and postsecondary institutions, state government workforce
boards, regional leadership, consumers, and other stakeholders.
These groups should work together to forecast health professions
workforce demand and plan comprehensive pathways to support multiple
target groups.
(3) Health data collection and reporting on a continuous basis.
SEC. 2. Section 127162 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to
read:
127162. (a) The office shall, in collaboration with the
California Workforce Investment Board, establish the Health
Professions Workforce Task Force to assist in the development of a
health professions workforce master plan for the state. The task
force shall be comprised of the following members:
(1) Two members representing the Legislature, with one member
appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, and one member appointed by
the President pro Tempore of the Senate
Senate Rules Committee .
(2) A member representing the Legislative Analyst's Office,
appointed by the Legislative Analyst.
(3)
(2) A member representing the University of California,
appointed by the Regents of the University of California.
(4)
(3) A member representing the California State
University, appointed by the Board of Trustees, of the
California State University Governor .
(5)
(4) A member representing the California Community
Colleges, appointed by the Board of Governors of the
California Community Colleges Governor .
(6)
(5) A member representing private and independent
California colleges and universities, as appointed by the
office Governor .
(7)
(6) A member representing the State Department of
Education, as appointed by the Superintendent
Governor .
(8)
(7) A member responsible for leading a health sciences
program in a school district, drawn from a pool of candidates
selected by the Superintendent , as appointed by the Senate
Rules Committee .
(9) Members
(8) Three members representing
key stakeholders from labor and the health care industry, as
appointed by the office Speaker of the
Assembly .
(10) Members
(9) Three members representing
community-based organizations in the state, as appointed by the
office Senate Rules Committee .
(11) Members
(10) Three members representing
multiple health professions, including Allied Health , as
appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly .
(12)
(11) A member of the California Workforce Investment
Board and a member of a regional workforce investment board,
both selected by the Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development
as appointed by the Governor .
(b) Total membership of the task force shall be not more than 21
people.
(c) Membership on the task force shall be voluntary and without
compensation.
(b)
(d) The task force shall assist the office in the
development of a health professions workforce master plan, and shall
meet no later than October 31, 2009, to do all of the following:
(1) Report, assess impact, and review capacity and effectiveness
of existing state and private programs to leverage funding resources
and form new partnerships, foster shared learning, identify best
practices, and minimize duplication of efforts.
(2) Review local workforce investment plans and assess progress in
meeting current health professions workforce needs.
(3) Identify education and employment trends in the health
professions.
(4) Identify the top 10 health professions with the highest demand
and develop a plan to meet that demand.
(5) Recommend state policies needed to address the issues of
health professions workforce shortage and distribution.
(6) To aid in this effort, the task force shall do the following:
(A) Advance California's economic growth and global
competitiveness through high-quality education and services focusing
on continuous workforce improvement, technology deployment, and
business development, consistent with the current needs of the state'
s regional economies.
(B) Work with representatives of business, labor, and professional
trade associations to explore and develop new alternatives for
assisting incumbent health care workers. A key objective is to enable
incumbent health care workers to become more competitive in their
region's labor market, increase competency, and identify career paths
to economic self-sufficiency and lifelong access to good paying
jobs. This includes, but is not necessarily limited to, career ladder
approaches.
(C) Collaborate with other state and local agencies to deliver
services that meet statewide and regional workforce, business
development, technology transfer, and trade needs that attract,
retain, and expand businesses.
(D) Identify, acquire, and leverage community college and other
vocational training resources, whenever possible, to support local,
regional, and statewide economic development.
(E) Develop methods to ensure access to community colleges'
economic development services.
(F) Develop strategic public and private sector partnerships.
(6) Compile, assess, and align with other strategic plans for
developing California's workforce.
(e) The task force shall meet no less than three times per year.
(f) Not later than October 31, 2012, the task force shall submit a
completed report to the office with recommendations for developing a
health professionals workforce master plan.
(g) The office shall act as the lead in coordinating the task
force.
(h) The office shall seek and accept funds from the federal
government and private entities to support the activities of the task
force.
(i) Not later than October 31, 2014, the office shall implement
the health professionals workforce master plan as developed by the
task force.
SEC. 3. Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section 127320) is added to
Part 1 of Division 107 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:
CHAPTER 1.5. HEALTH PROFESSIONS WORKFORCE PLANNING
127320. (a) The Legislative Analyst's Office shall compile a
baseline report that assesses the state's health professions
workforce data collection capacity. Working with the Employment
Development Department, the state licensing boards, the Department of
Consumer Affairs, the California State University, the University of
California, the California Community Colleges, and the Office of
Statewide Health Planning and Development, the Legislative Analyst's
Office shall report to the Health Professions Workforce Task Force,
as established in Section 127162, the entities who can provide the
following information no later than October 31, 2009:
(1) The current supply of health professionals, by specialty.
(2) The geographic distribution of health professionals, by
specialty.
(3) The diversity of the health professionals, by specialty,
including, but not limited to, data on race, ethnicity, and languages
spoken.
(4) The current and forecasted demand for health professionals, by
specialty.
(5) The educational capacity to produce trained, certified, and
licensed health professionals, by specialty and geographic area,
including, but not limited to, the number of educational slots, the
current enrollment, the attrition rate, and the wait to enter a
program of study.
(b) As the clearinghouse for state health professions workforce
data, the office shall have the authority to request and collect this
information.
(c) The sharing and transfer of data shall be conducted with the
appropriate privacy protections under state and federal law.
(d) The office shall determine gaps in the health professions
workforce data collection and request the appropriate state entities
to prepare and collect the data required.