BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                   AB 867|
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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 867
          Author:   Nava (D) and Arambula (I), et al
          Amended:  8/20/10 in Senate
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE  :  8-0, 7/15/09
          AYES:  Romero, Huff, Alquist, Hancock, Liu, Padilla,  
            Simitian, Wyland
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Maldonado

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  11-0, 8/12/10
          AYES:  Kehoe, Ashburn, Alquist, Corbett, Emmerson, Leno,  
            Price, Walters, Wolk, Wyland, Yee
           
          ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  71-7, 6/3/09 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    California State University:  Doctor of Nursing  
          Practice 
                      degree:  pilot program

           SOURCE  :     California State University


           DIGEST  :    This bill, until July 1, 2018, authorizes the  
          California State University (CSU) to establish a Doctor of  
          Nursing Practice (DNP) degree pilot program at three  
          campuses chosen by the Board of Trustees to award the DNP  
          degree.  This bill distinguishes the DNP degree from the  
          doctor of philosophy degree offered at the University of  
          California.  This bill requires the DNP degree pilot  
          program to be designed to enable professionals to earn the  
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          degree while working full time, train nurses for advanced  
          practice, and prepare clinical faculty to teach in  
          postsecondary nursing programs.  This bill requires CSU to  
          enroll and maintain no more than 90 full-time equivalent  
          students in the degree pilot program at all three campuses  
          combined.  This bill requires initial funding to come from  
          existing budgets, without diminishing the quality of  
          undergraduate programs or reducing enrollment therein.   
          This bill requires CSU, the Legislative Analyst's Office,  
          and the Department of Finance to jointly conduct a  
          statewide evaluation of the degree pilot program and report  
          the results to the Legislature and the Governor on or  
          before January 1, 2017.

           Senate Floor Amendments  of 8/20/10 delete non-nursing  
          related language and insert clarifying language to ensure  
          that the required evaluation reviews elements of CSU  
          nursing program.

           ANALYSIS  :    Current law provides that the primary mission  
          of CSU is undergraduate and graduate instruction through  
          the master's degree.  It specifies that CSU (1) shall offer  
          undergraduate and graduate instruction through the master's  
          degree, and (2) may offer doctoral degrees jointly with the  
          University of California (UC) or other independent  
          institutions of higher education provided they are approved  
          by the California Postsecondary Education Commission.   
          Current law also authorizes CSU to independently award the  
          Doctor of Education (Ed.D) degree focused solely on  
          preparing administrative leaders for California public K-14  
          schools.  

          In setting forth the missions and functions of California  
          public and independent institutions of higher education,  
          current law provides, among other things, that UC "has the  
          sole authority in public higher education to award the  
          doctoral degree in all fields of learning, except that it  
          may agree with the CSU to award joint doctoral degrees in  
          selected fields."
           
           This bill, until July 1, 2018, authorizes CSU to establish  
          a DNP degree pilot program at three campuses chosen by the  
          Board of Trustees to award the DNP degree.  This bill  
          distinguishes the DNP degree from the doctor of philosophy  







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          degree offered at the University of California.  This bill  
          requires the DNP degree pilot program to be designed to  
          enable professionals to earn the degree while working full  
          time, train nurses for advanced practice, and prepare  
          clinical faculty to teach in postsecondary nursing  
          programs.  This bill requires CSU to enroll and maintain no  
          more than 90 full-time equivalent students in the degree  
          pilot program at all three campuses combined.  This bill  
          requires initial funding to come from existing budgets,  
          without diminishing the quality of undergraduate programs  
          or reducing enrollment therein.  This bill requires CSU,  
          the Legislative Analyst's Office, and the Department of  
          Finance to jointly conduct a statewide evaluation of the  
          degree pilot program and report the results to the  
          Legislature and the Governor on or before January 1, 2017.
           
          Comments  

          This bill resulted from a study by the CSU Nursing  
          Doctorate Advisory Committee, comprised of CSU  
          representatives and a research consultant, to determine how  
          best to address California's nursing faculty shortage.  CSU  
          asserts this bill is necessary for training future CSU and  
          California Community College nursing faculty.  CSU's 18  
          pre-licensure nursing programs are full and unable to  
          expand, in part because there are not enough faculty  
          available to meet the low student-to-faculty ratios  
          required by accreditors and licensing boards for these  
          programs.  In addition, CSU points out the new program will  
          allow it to train more advance practice nurses, which may  
          be the educational level necessary for certification in the  
          future. 

          According to a June 2008 study by the California Institute  
          for Nursing & Health Care, more baccalaureate- and  
          graduate-prepared nurses will be needed as California  
          strives to fill a forecasted shortage of 116,000 nurses by  
          2020.  Currently, 70 percent of graduating nurses have  
          two-year Associate of Arts degrees, and only 26 percent of  
          these go on to secure a Bachelor of Science in Nursing or  
          graduate-level degree. 

           Prior legislation  .  On April 17, 2008, the Senate Education  
          Committee passed (9-0) SB 1288 (Scott), 2007-08 Session,  







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          which would have authorized CSU to offer DNP degree  
          programs.  The bill was held in the Senate Appropriations  
          Committee.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  No

          It is the intent of the legislature that CSU seek private  
          donations or other nonstate funds to fund startup costs for  
          the degree pilot program.

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  8/20/10)

          California State University (source)
          American Nurses Association/California
          American Federation of State, County and Municipal  
          Employees
          Asian Americans for Community Involvement
          California Hospital Association
          California State Student Association
          Coast Community College District
          Greater Fresno Area Chamber of Commerce
          Joint Venture Silicon Valley
          Oxnard Chamber of Commerce
          San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce
          Silicon Valley Leadership Group
          Thousand Oaks-Westlake Village Regional Chamber of Commerce


           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :
          AYES:  Adams, Ammiano, Arambula, Beall, Bill Berryhill, Tom  
            Berryhill, Blumenfield, Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero,  
            Charles Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto,  
            Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, DeVore, Emmerson, Eng,  
            Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani,  
            Gaines, Galgiani, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi,  
            Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight,  
            Krekorian, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza,  
            Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello, John A. Perez, V. Manuel  
            Perez, Price, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Silva, Skinner,  
            Smyth, Solorio, Audra Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson,  
            Torres, Torrico, Tran, Villines, Bass
          NOES:  Anderson, Blakeslee, Duvall, Garrick, Miller,  
            Nielsen, Portantino







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          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Block, Yamada


          PQ:mw  8/23/10   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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